Clinicobiome Program: Together, Let’s Turn the Microbiome into a New Weapon Against Cancer

Numerous discoveries in recent years have led to a better understanding of the mechanisms of cancer and offer ever-greater prospects for fighting it. This is particularly true of the work conducted by Professor Laurence Zitvogel’s team on the role of the gut microbiome in the development and treatment of cancers.

The gut microbiome refers to the 39 to 44,000 billion microorganisms that live in our digestive system. This collection of bacteria, viruses, yeasts, and fungi plays a central role in digestion and interacts closely with our immune system.

When the balance shifts in favor of pathogenic bacterial species, the microbiota ceases to play its protective role for our body: this is known as dysbiosis. This situation can have numerous consequences, such as the development of certain diseases—including cancers—as well as the ineffectiveness of certain cancer treatments.

The team, led clinically by Dr. Lisa Derosa, has shown that, in some patients, the ineffectiveness of immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatments is correlated with an imbalance in their gut microbiota. For the first time, the team has demonstrated that this component of our body plays a role in the immune response to cancer and, therefore, in the effectiveness of treatments.

Based on these pioneering discoveries, Gustave Roussy is now taking a decisive step forward with its “ClinicObiome” medical-scientific program, which aims to develop new therapeutic approaches to cancer: modifying patients’ microbiota to significantly increase the effectiveness of treatments.

2013
Basic
Research Discovery of the link between an imbalance in the gut microbiota and the patient’s immune system

2018
Translational
Research First conclusive trials demonstrating that modulating the microbiome increases the effectiveness of immunotherapy in mice

2021
Clinical
Research Launch of the Ketorein, Peacock, and Oncophila clinical trials at Gustave Roussy

OUR GOAL, WITH YOUR SUPPORT:
to accelerate discoveries about the microbiome and develop two new drugs within 5 years.

Key milestones for ClinicObiome

Creation of a dynamic biobank
of patient data

Development of a diagnostic test
based on each patient’s microbiome data

Development of new therapies
to regulate the microbiome

Development of predictive
artificial intelligence based on patients’ microbiome data

Launch of 3 innovative clinical trials

Building on the progress made through these fundamental and translational discoveries, our researchers and physicians are launching three early-phase clinical trials that hold immense promise for 250 patients whose current treatments have failed:

• The Ketorein trial will include 60 patients with metastatic kidney cancer and will evaluate the impact of a ketogenic (low-carbohydrate) diet on the response to immunotherapy.
• The Peacock trial will be open to 40 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who will receive chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The goal is to evaluate the efficacy of this combination of treatments and analyze the role of the microbiome.
• The Oncophila trial will enroll 150 patients being treated for advanced lung cancer and will test the effect of a probiotic bacterium —Akkermansia muciniphila—combined with immunotherapy and chemotherapy, with the goal of determining whether this bacterium enhances treatment efficacy and overcomes resistance.

Through your donation, you are directly contributing to research advances aimed at curing cancer in the 21st century

One-Time Donation
Recurring Donation
 

Your generosity in action

66% of your donation is tax-deductible: make your generosity go even further!

• €100 = 6 stool sample kits, or €34 after tax deduction
• €150 = 1 microbiome analysis, or €51 after the tax deduction
• €200 = 1 bottle of cell culture medium, or €68 after the tax deduction