METRICs Stoffwechsel/Metagenomik in Radio-Immuntherapie-Kombination

This FWF-funded project explores how cancer cell metabolism and the gut microbiome affect the success of combined immunotherapy and radiotherapy (RT). While immunotherapy shows promising results, only a fraction of patients benefit highlighting the need for predictive biomarkers and better combination strategies. RT may boost immunotherapy by enhancing antigen presentation, but many clinical trials show limited results. Drawing from their recent studies about novel metabolic immunocheckpoints which can be used to fight tumors, the Weckwerth lab will perform cancer cell metabolomics and correlate this to treatment responses. They hypothesize that metabolic and immunophenotypic traits as well as the gut microbiome could serve as biomarkers for tailoring immunotherapy-RT combinations. Embedded in an international team with Germany, Spain, France, Turkey and Canada, the consortium will investigate more than 400 patients, applying metabolomic and metagenomic analyses to identify key indicators of response. These findings will inform optimized treatment strategies, tested in patient-derived and animal models. The project also investigates gut microbiota`s role in enhancing CAR T cell therapy, with promising preclinical results.