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Laurence Zitvogel’s Paris team studied 200 cancer patients on immunotherapy and…
Brief
A Twitter post by @newstart_2024 highlights evidence that the gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila strongly affects cancer immunotherapy success. Laurence Zitvogel’s Paris team analyzed 200 patients (only ~20% responders) and found higher Akkermansia linked to robust responses—including some stage‑4 patients becoming cancer‑free—echoing a 2018 Science study (Routy et al.) on PD‑1 blockade.
Why it matters
Laurence Zitvogel’s Paris team studied 200 cancer patients on immunotherapy and found only about 20% responded; higher Akkermansia muciniphila levels were associated with strong responses, with some patients reportedly going from stage 4 to cancer‑free.
Key details
- After ruling out age, genetics, medications, and other factors, the only clear difference between responders and non‑responders was presence/abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila; patients lacking it showed minimal immune reaction.
- These observations align with a 2018 Science paper (Routy, Zitvogel et al.) linking Akkermansia muciniphila to better outcomes from PD‑1 blockade in lung and kidney cancer, and later research has continued to support its role.