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Immunotherapy has been a resounding success for melanoma skin cancer and small cell lung cancer. Not so for ovarian cancer. Cancer immunologists at the University of Virginia have now discovered what underlies this failure.

Their research discovered that flagellin protein from gut bacteria blocks the effectiveness of the checkpoint inhibitors that power most current immunotherapy. This bacterial flagellin inhibits immune cell communication helping tumors flourish rather than die.

Using a mouse model and blocking flagellin action restored immunotherapeutic effectiveness with 80% of treated animals enjoying long-term tumor control.

If this approach is effective for human ovarian cancer patients, coupling flagellin blocking with checkpoint immunotherapy may be a winning therapeutic strategy …..someday soon.

https://newsroom.uvahealth.com/2025/02/11/ovarian-cancer-discovery-could-turn-ailed-treatment-into-lifesaver/

https://aacrjournals.org/cancerimmunolres/article-abstract/doi/10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-24-0513/751676/TLR5-signaling-causes-dendritic-cell-dysfunction?redirectedFrom=fulltext

#immunotherapy #checkpointinhibitor #ovarian #cancer #biome #flagellin

Improving Ovarian Cancer Immunotherapy

Dr. Howard Smith Reports