How gut bacteria change cancer drug activity

The activity of cancer drugs changes depending on the types of microbes living in the gut, according to a UCL-led study into how nematode worms and their microbes process drugs and nutrients. The discovery highlights the potential benefit of manipulating gut bacteria and diet to improve cancer treatment and the value of understanding why the effectiveness of drugs varies between individuals. The study, published today in Cell and funded by Wellcome, the Royal Society and Medical Research Council, reports a new high-throughput screening method that unravels the complex relationship between a host organism, their gut microbes and drug action. 'The efficacy of colorectal cancer treatments varies greatly between patients. We wanted to know if this could be caused by microbes changing how the body processes the drugs. We've developed a rigorous system that could be used for pre-clinical screening of drug interactions in the context of host and microbe, or for designing bacteria for drug-delivery which could revolutionise treatments,' explained study lead, Dr Filipe Cabreiro (UCL Biosciences). 'We forget that there are many organisms living in our bodies that interact with the food and drugs we ingest.