An unfavourable gut bacterial composition has been shown to reduce the likelihood of clinical benefit from immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The results of two first-in-human studies of faecal microbiota transplantation in patients with melanoma refractory to anti-PD-1 antibodies validate preclinical evidence that this approach can improve the gut microbiota and overcome resistance to ICIs; however, many questions remain.
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The authors acknowledge support from the Canadian Cancer Society.
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B.R. declared consulting and advisory roles for Davoltera, EverImmune, Kaleido and Vedanta. A.E. declares no competing interests.
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Elkrief, A., Routy, B. First clinical proof-of-concept that FMT can overcome resistance to ICIs. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 18, 325–326 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41571-021-00502-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41571-021-00502-3
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