Key Highlights :
Healthy bacteria can help boost the effectiveness of certain immunotherapy drugs. The study, which is published in the journal Clinical Immunology, found that pro-inflammatory bacteria can escape the intestine and travel to lymph nodes and cancerous tumors elsewhere in the body. When these bacteria interact with the immune system, they can trigger an anti-tumor response. This effect was most pronounced when the pro-inflammatory bacteria interacted with a type of immunotherapy drug called PD1 blockade. "Our study provides new insights into how healthy bacteria may be able to help boost the effectiveness of PD1 blockade therapy," said study author Dr. Ibrahim J. Karam, an assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. "It could lead to new ways of targeting pro-inflammatory bacteria and improving the efficacy of this promising treatment." PD1 blockade is a type of immunotherapy drug that has shown promise for treating various cancers