Nine friendly bacteria, swallowed daily, helped melanoma patients answer treatment again

For people with advanced melanoma whose cancer kept growing despite the standard immune therapy, a team in Europe tried a different ally: the gut. In a 41-patient trial across the UK, France, Italy and Spain, patients took MB097 — a daily capsule holding nine carefully chosen gut bacteria — alongside pembrolizumab. The treatment was safe and well tolerated, with no serious side effects linked to MB097, and the trial met all its main goals. Among patients who first took a short course of an antibiotic to help the bacteria settle, 3 of 21 saw their tumours shrink by more than 75%, including one whose cancer disappeared completely — early, small numbers, but a real proof that retuning the gut can help the immune system fight back.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation