Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Cancer Institute awarded a $660,541 Project Grant under the Cancer Biology Research program (CFDA 93.396) to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, with an award date of April 1, 2026 and completion date of March 31, 2031. This five-year research initiative investigates the modulation of the tumor microenvironment by Fusobacterium nucleatum (FN) and co-infecting microbes in colorectal cancer (CRC). The project addresses a critical gap in cancer microbiome research by examining spatial and cellular interactions between FN bacteria, co-infecting anaerobic bacterial species, and immune cells within CRC tumor tissues, with the goal of understanding how these microbial communities collectively reshape tumor niches and drive cancer progression.

The grant supports fundamental cancer biology research designed to advance understanding of how FN and its bacterial co-infections influence cancer epithelial cell functions and immune cell distribution in colorectal tumors. Specifically, the research will characterize the heterogeneous distribution of these bacterial communities within tumor niches, examine their associations with myeloid cell infiltration and immune checkpoint protein expression, and investigate mechanisms linking microbial modulation of the tumor microenvironment to disease recurrence, metastasis, and poor patient prognosis. Findings from this project are expected to inform new therapeutic strategies targeting the cancer microbiome and improve colorectal cancer prevention, detection, and treatment outcomes.