Investigators at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health have used an approach known as single-cell analysis of host-microbiome interactions (SAHMI), to examine the microbiome of pancreatic tumors and identify particular microorganisms, at single-cell resolution, that are associated with inflammation and poor survival. The researchers, headed by Subhajyoti De, PhD, at Rutgers Cancer Institute, suggest that these microorganisms may represent new targets for earlier diagnosis or treatment of pancreatic cancer, which is the fourth leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States. Reporting on their work in Cancer Cell (“Tumor microbiome links cellular programs and immunity in pancreatic cancer,”) senior author De, and colleagues noted, “Our results provide evidence that intra-tumoral bacteria reflect or influence the trajectory of tumor growth; either possibility has clinical utility.”
