Grant Award Summary

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395), awarded The Ohio State University a $386,888 Project Grant on July 2, 2026, with a completion date of June 30, 2028. This award supports research to characterize the Lachnospiraceae bacterial family and establish the mechanistic pathways by which these gut microbiota enhance response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) cancer immunotherapy. The project applies comparative genomics approaches to identify specific genes and gene products within Lachnospiraceae that improve ICB treatment outcomes, building on prior clinical trial findings demonstrating that dietary interventions modifying the microbiome—particularly enriching Lachnospiraceae members such as Blautia massiliensis—correlate with improved tumor response in preclinical models.

The research deliverables include mechanistic characterization of how Lachnospiraceae-derived metabolites and other biological factors enhance ICB efficacy, computational analyses predicting functional gene associations across the bacterial family, and preclinical validation in mouse tumor models. This project addresses a significant clinical need by defining which microbes and microbial products are necessary and sufficient to improve immunotherapy response rates, with potential implications for microbiome-targeted interventions to increase the proportion of cancer patients responsive to checkpoint blockade therapy.