Gut Microbes May Up PD-1 Inhibitor Response.

Confirming the results of animal studies, new research shows that the composition of patients' microbiome influences their response to checkpoint inhibitors. Patients with melanoma who benefit from PD-1 inhibitors carry a greater variety of species and higher numbers of microbes in the Clostridiales group. Increased abundance of certain bacteria in this group also correlated with higher numbers of CD8+ T cells in patients' tumors.