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AI finds microbial signatures in tumours and blood across cancer types

Analysis of nucleic-acid sequences from human cancers, along with samples from adjacent tissue and blood, reveals the presence of microorganisms in tumours and blood across cancers.
  1. Nadim J. Ajami

    1. Nadim J. Ajami is in the Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.

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  2. Jennifer A. Wargo

    1. Jennifer A. Wargo is in the Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA, and in the Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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The world is filled with microorganisms, which have a profound impact on many facets of life. Do these microbial communities influence cancer1? Many studies of microbes and their genomes (collectively called the microbiome) have focused on the gut, where most of the body’s microbes reside. This work has revealed a role for the gut microbiome in several types of cancer that arise in the intestinal lining itself2–4, and indicated that the gut microbiome might influence cancers at distant sites through its impact on the immune system1. In addition, emerging evidence indicates that microbial signatures (such as nucleic acids) can be found in tumours at other sites in the body5,6 and in the tissues and blood of individuals who don’t have cancer7,8. Writing in Nature, Poore et al.9 build on this evidence, identifying signatures of microbial DNA and RNA, both in tumours and in the blood, across multiple human cancers. The authors further suggest that these signatures might augment existing clinical diagnostic tools, although further work is needed in this area.

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Nature 579, 502-503 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00637-w

References

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  9. Poore, G. D. et al. Nature 579, 567–574 (2020).

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  10. Geller, L. T. et al. Science 357, 1156–1160 (2017).

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  11. Riquelme, E. et al. Cell 178, 795–806 (2019).

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  13. Wilson, B. E., Routy, B., Nagrial, A. & Chin, V. T. Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 69, 343–354 (2020).

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Competing Interests

J.A.W. is an inventor on a US patent application (PCT/US17/53.717) submitted by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center that covers methods to enhance immune checkpoint blockade responses by modulating the microbiome. J.A.W. reports compensation for speaker’s bureau and honoraria from Imedex, Dava Oncology, Omniprex, Illumina, Gilead, PeerView, Physician Education Resource, MedImmune, Exelixis, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. J.A.W. serves as a consultant / advisory board member for Roche/Genentech, Novartis, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, Biothera Pharmaceuticals and Microbiome DX. J.A.W. also receives research support from GlaxoSmithKline, Roche/Genentech, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Novartis.

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