According to a study by the University College London (UCL) on how nematodes and microorganisms treat drugs and nutrients, the activity of anticancer drugs depends on the type of bacteria that live in the intestine .
This finding highlights the potential benefits of adjusting intestinal bacteria and diet to improve the prognosis of cancer treatment and understanding the value of individual differences in drug use.
This latest study, published in the journal Cell, reports a new and efficient screening method that can explain the complex relationship between host organisms, gut microbes, and drug effects.
The treatment effect of patients with colorectal cancer varies greatly. We want to know whether this will be caused by microorganisms changing the body’s process of processing drugs. We have developed a rigorous test system that can be used for pre-clinical screening of drug interactions between the host and microorganisms, or for designing medicinal bacteria, which will make the treatment method change dramatically.
The research team found that if the host-microbe-drug interaction is not taken into account, the combined treatment of cancer may be limited.
We have highlighted a critical missing piece about how drugs treat diseases. We plan to continue in-depth research in this area to confirm which microorganisms will affect human drug activity, and through the supervision of dietary supplements, may have a huge impact on the prognosis of cancer treatment.
