Patent ID: 11331269

Abstract:
It has been discovered that lung tumor growth is associated with a dysregulation of the local microbiota, including an increased total bacterial load and reduced bacterial diversity in the airway. In the lungs, commensal bacteria, which are otherwise non-pathogenic and colonize pulmonary tissue at a much lower density in healthy individuals, provoke chronic inflammation and exacerbation of lung cancer through tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Thus, targeting the lung microbiota and its responding immune pathways is useful in treating lung cancer. Disclosed are compositions and methods targeting the lung microbiota and its responding immune pathways in a subject by specific targeting of commensal bacteria in the subject. Typically, the methods involve administering an effective amount of one or more therapeutics such as an antibiotic that reduces the local bacterial load, blocks or depletes tumor-infiltrating immune cells, and/or locally inhibits one or more cytokines or chemokines.