Researchers from the European Institute of Oncology and the Politecnico di Milano have developed a “gut-on-a-chip” model that reproduces the main features of intestinal inflammation and can predict melanoma patients’ responses to immunotherapy. The research, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, offers new insights into the role of gut microbiota in immunotherapy efficacy, to both inform new drug development and deliver personalized cancer treatments.
“The microbiota of melanoma patients who do not respond to immunotherapy has pronounced pro-inflammatory characteristics, which damage the integrity of the gut’s epithelial barrier and promote the production of molecules that can regulate the immune system,” said lead…