Cancer

Patient samples and mouse studies suggest an antibiotic cocktail or inhibiting IL22RA1 or IL-17A could help treat lung cancer. In tissue samples from patients with lung adenocarcinoma, levels of IL22RA1 were higher in tumors than than in normal lung tissue. In a mouse model of lung cancer, an antibiotic cocktail of generic ampicillin, neomycin, metronidazole, and vancomycin decreased tumor growth compared with no treatment. Also in the model, an anti-IL-17A mAb decreased tumor growth compared with an isotype control antibody. In another mouse model of lung cancer, CRISPR-mediated knockout of IL22RA1 decreased tumor growth compared with an empty vector. Next steps include testing inhibition of IL-17A and IL22RA1 in additional animal models of lung cancer (see “Bugging Inflammation in Lung Cancer”)...