DDLSS: Maria Rescigno "The microbiota in cancer progression and treatment"

Maria Rescigno (H-index 77) is Scientific Director Research Center for Molecular Medicine (CeMM) Vienna, AT and Full Professor General Pathology Humanitas University, Milan, IT. She graduated in Biology in the University of Milan and received her PhD in Pharmacology and toxicology. She was the first to show that dendritic cells actively participate to bacterial uptake in the gut and the existence of a gut vascular barrier that resembles the blood brain barrier. She authored more than 220 publications in high impact journals, including Science, Nature Immunol, Immunity, J. Exp Med., Science TM. She has been the recipient of three ERC grants (starting, proof-of-concept and consolidator). She seats in the technical and scientific board of several charities, funding agencies and in different companies. She received several awards (“Premio Roma per lo sviluppo del Paese”, 2022 and the prestigious PezcollerMarina Larcher Fogazzaro-EACR Women in Cancer Research Award, 2023), including an honourable mention from Belgian Embassy, 2022. In 2016 Maria Rescigno founded Postbiotica s.r.l. a spin-off of the University of Milan that exploits microbiota-derived metabolites as new pharmaceutical agents.

The involvement of the microbiota in cancer progression and treatment has for long been proposed. The microbiota can affect tumor cell proliferation and death, the immune system and the tumor microenvironment. We have observed a reduction in one particular strain capable of controlling tumor cell proliferation 1. Further, Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), has drastically improved treatment of metastatic cancer patients. Microbiota composition has been proposed to be one of the reasons for failure or success. ICB works via the activation or reactivation of T cells that are ‘switched off’ by tumor cells or by the tumor microenvironment. Even advanced metastatic disease, previously considered as untreatable, can benefit from cancer immunotherapy. However, still a good proportion of patients does not respond to therapy or acquires resistance during treatment. Some genera or species of bacteria have been associated with treatment response or toxicity, but as the composition of the microbiota is not static, rather, it is very dynamic there is promise that by changing the microbiota composition, or by harnessing the microbiota ‘secrete’ tricks, one can improve treatment efficacy or reduce toxicity. Several players, including diet, prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics have been proposed to shape the microbiota. We found that it is possible to train the microbiota to increase ICB efficacy and to reduce toxicity via the use of postbiotics 2, but we also know that the microbiota can influence cancer treatment by metabolizing chemotherapeutic drugs. We will discuss both possibilities.