PRIME-TR

The Platform for Innovative Microbiome and Translational Research (PRIME-TR) seeks to apply microbiome-based applications as a complement to cancer treatments and prevention methods.

There is a growing appreciation of the role of the human microbiome in health and disease. A person’s microbiome can influence overall immunity, therapeutic response and disease risk. Additionally, factors that impact the microbiome, such as diet or therapeutic regimen, can have a downstream effect on how the person’s immune system continues to respond to disease. 

PRIME-TR provides both laboratory and bioanalytical expertise to collaborations, which span across multiple departments at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The microbiome & cancer treatment

The collection of microbes living in and on the human body, collectively known as the microbiome, can impact cancer development, progression and response to therapy in ways that are not fully understood. Clarifying interactions between the microbiome, patient and environmental factors provides an opportunity to improve cancer treatment strategies but requires a multi-faceted research approach. PRIME-TR strives to meet this goal by leveraging internal resources and collaborations with a variety of different platforms, disease sites and programs within MD Anderson Cancer Center to enable high-impact microbiome profiling of our patients.