Cancer immunotherapy has been shown to provide patients with an excellent new type of treatment and is in common use world-wide. Unfortunately, we know that not all patients will respond to their immunotherapy treatment in the same way.

Responses to immunotherapy may be affected by a patient’s microbiome, or the community of bacteria that live in their bowel. This group of bacteria can influence the immune system by increasing or decreasing certain types of white cells, called T cells that are produced in the body. By analysing the bacteria, this project aims to find new biomarkers for immunotherapy in patients with melanoma.