For example, they aim to investigate
whether gut microbiota composition would be differently influenced by COX - 1 - or COX -2-specific inhibition, given that COX - 2 inhibitors show less gastrointestinal complications.
In the most recent of these reports (in the latest issue of Science), Dr. Jennifer Wargo, a surgeon and research scientist at M.D. Anderson, along with several dozen colleagues at other institutions, reveal that the
composition of a patient's
gut microbiota can significantly influence
whether he or she responds to an immune checkpoint inhibitor — the type of cancer immunotherapy that releases the emergency brakes in the car analogy above.