Microbiome-based Therapeutics: Cutting-edge Innovation or Perpetual Promise?

David J McConkey; Jennifer J Barb; Armine K Smith; Cynthia L Sears

doi:10.1016/j.euf.2024.11.008

Microbiome-based Therapeutics: Cutting-edge Innovation or Perpetual Promise?

Eur Urol Focus. 2024 Dec 7:S2405-4569(24)00248-7. doi: 10.1016/j.euf.2024.11.008. Online ahead of print.

Authors

David J McConkey¹, Jennifer J Barb², Armine K Smith³, Cynthia L Sears⁴

Affiliations

¹ Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute and the Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Translational Biobehavioral and Health Disparities Branch, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA.
³ Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute and the Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁴ Departments of Oncology and Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

PMID: 39648093
DOI: 10.1016/j.euf.2024.11.008

Abstract

Recent preclinical and clinical research has established that the microbiome affects response to immunotherapy, and other work has shown that our diet has strong and rapid effects on the microbiome. Together, these findings have generated strong enthusiasm for the development of therapeutic approaches to exploit these effects. However, inconsistencies in sample collection and data analyses have made it challenging to evaluate the true impact of these interventions. We suggest that the research community needs to develop technical best practices before the true potential of therapeutic microbiome modulation can be realized.