3 ms·
tl;dr: In a proof-of-concept phase 2 trial, researchers transplanted gut bacteria from patients who responded extraordinarily strongly to immunotherapy into the
by TeaDrunk 6y ago
tl;dr: In a proof-of-concept phase 2 trial, researchers transplanted gut bacteria from patients who responded extraordinarily strongly to immunotherapy into the gut of patients who are completely nonresponsive to the therapy. N = 15, with 6 people experiencing reduction of tumors or stabilization.
It's definitely not a silver bullet... I feel like we still don't understand enough about the mechanisms surrounding the gut flora. This is flailing in the dark. Fingers crossed these results encourage more research into the biological chemistry behind this.
- wrinkl3 6y ago> N = 15 I'm not a scientist but isn't that a tiny sample?
- jhbadger 6y agoAs an author on the paper, that's reality. We'd all like cohorts with hundreds or thousands of people, but that's just not how things work in reality.
- xvilka 6y agoIt will take decades if not more just to classify all bacteria, protists, viruses, etc who live in human gut. Even more to understand personal differences, mechanisms of influencing human immunity and behavior.