Sidra Medicine study recognised as key advancement in cancer microbiome field

Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has announced that one of its research studies published in Nature Medicine in May 2023, has been featured in the Year in Review section of Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, which focuses on key advances in the field of cancer microbiome in 2023.
Titled “Microbiota-based biomarkers and therapeutics for cancer management”, the article provides a comprehensive overview of the latest discoveries and applications of microbiota-based approaches for improving cancer prevention, prognostication, and therapy, with a focus on colorectal cancer.
The research study from Sidra Medicine “An integrated tumour, immune and microbiome atlas of colon cancer” by Roelands et al, revealed the impact of the immune system and microbiota on the ability to survive colon cancer. The study was done in collaboration with Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) in the Netherlands.
The study comprehensively characterised the genomic, transcriptomic, immunological, and microbial features of a cohort of 348 patients with colorectal cancer, sequenced at Sidra Medicine, with long-term follow-up data to devise a composite score for prognostication.
The Sidra Medicine and LUMC team analysed various aspects of primary colon cancers, including the characteristics of cancer cells, cancer immune responses, and microbiota composition. They found that a specific composition of bacteria in the tumour and intratumoural immune response were associated with a more favourable prognosis for colon cancer patients.
Dr Wouter Hendrickx, one of the senior authors of the article and a principal investigator at Sidra Medicine, said: “Our article showcases the cutting-edge research that Sidra Medicine is conducting in collaboration with leading institutions such as LUMC. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team and our partners and reflects the high quality and impact of the research coming out of Qatar.”