Research

Treatment with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has revolutionized cancer therapy. We are investigating the effects of diet, probiotics, mental health, and other factors on the gut microbiome and response to immunotherapy in patients with melanoma. Our recent publication in Science showed that higher dietary fiber was associated with significantly improved progression-free survival in patients on ICB, with the most pronounced benefit observed in patients with sufficient dietary fiber intake and no probiotic use.

• Phase I feeding study: Controlled Dietary Interventions in Patients with Melanoma
• Phase II feeding study: Diet and Immune Effects Trial: DIET- A randomized double blinded dietary intervention study in patients with metastatic melanoma receiving immunotherapy

• Examine the microbiome as a mediator of fiber’s effect on systemic and anti-tumor immunity in a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) model

• High-fiber diet linked to immunotherapy response among patients with melanoma
• Nurses May Advise Patients on Immunotherapy to Increase Fiber Intake

• McQuade J. Energy Balance in the Era of Immune and Targeted Therapy, Medicine Grand Rounds, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 1/10/2020
• McQuade J. Fiber, the microbiome, and response to immunotherapy: Translation observation to intervention, Obesity, cancer and metabolic diseases working group, Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York, NY, 1/13/2020
• McQuade J. The microbiome and personalized immunotherapy., Prague ONCO 2020, Prague, Czech Republic, 1/30/2020
• McQuade J. Fiber and immunotherapy response: Human Data., Emergence-Mini-Symposium: Metabolism & Nutrition in cancer prevention and treatment: from basic science to interventions., Gustave Roussy Institute, Paris, France, 1/31/2020
• McQuade J. Diet, the gut microbiome and immune response., ASCO-SITC, Orlando, FL, 2/8/2020
• McQuade J. Microbiome: What to Tell Your Patients., Scripps Clinical Hematology and Oncology 2020, San Diego, CA, 2/17/2020
• McQuade J. Microbiome and immunotherapy., SEOM Immunotherapy Symposium '20, Madrid, Spain, 2/21/2020
• McQuade J. Diet, the gut microbiome and immune response., Mark Foundation Cancer Research Symposium, New York, NY, 3/3/2020
• McQuade J. Diet, the microbiome, and immune response: From observation to intervention, 28th IMWG, Virtual, 7/14/2020
• McQuade J Diet, energy balance and the gut microbiome., Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Australia, 10/26/2020
• McQuade J. Diet and Microbiome, SITC 2020, Milwaukee, WI, 11/11/2020
• McQuade J. Leveraging other genomes as potential response biomarkers: the microbiome, Immunotherapy Bridge 2020, Virtual, 12/2/2020
• McQuade J The microbiome, diet, and immune response: From observation to intervention, 2nd Annual Immuno-Oncology Symposium, Virtual, Canada, 2/9/2021
• McQuade J. Modulation of the gut microbiome for therapeutic gain, Melanoma Focus, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 10/15/2021
• McQuade J The Microbiome, Diet, and Immune Response: From Observation to Intervention, 17th Annual Oncology Research & Education Day, Virtual, Canada, 6/14/2021
• McQuade J. Reverse translation in nutrition- from observation to mechanism to intervention, Translating Energy Balance From Bench to Communities: Application of Parallel Animal-Human Studies in Cancer, Virtual, 7/8/2021
• McQuade J. The microbiome, diet, and immune response: From observation to intervention, The MicrobIOta role in the ImmunOncology, Virtual, Italy, 7/14/2021

• Conquer Cancer Foundation/ASCO: Molecular, immune and clinical significance of obesity in advanced melanoma (2017)
• Melanoma Moon Shot®: Novel strategies to overcome resistance to standard therapies – Project 1 (2020)
• Rising Tide Foundation: High fiber diet to enhance the microbiome in immunotherapy (2019)
• The Elkins Foundation: Molecular, immune, and clinical significance of obesity in advanced melanoma (2018)
• MD Anderson, Melanoma Moon Shot®: Microbiome and host factors across the melanoma continuum (2021)
• The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research: Controlled high-fiber dietary intervention to modulate gut microbiome in melanoma patients receiving immunotherapy (2020)
• Melanoma Research Alliance Team Science Award: Diet, mental health, and the microbiome in response to immunotherapy (2018)
• The Longenbaugh-Torian Fund: Prebiotic, the gut microbiome, and anti-tumor immunity (2021)
• The Seerave Foundation: Targeted dietary intervention in melanoma (2020)

Obesity is associated with markedly improved outcomes in metastatic melanoma patients treated with targeted and immune therapies. In a subcutaneous model of murine melanoma, diet-induced obesity increased tumor growth, recapitulating clinical associations in early stage melanoma. We are studying the biological basis for the paradoxical association of obesity with improved outcomes in metastatic melanoma.

• Obesity-induced impairment of antitumor immunity is associated with an immunosuppressive tumor immune landscape

• McQuade JL. Obesity in melanoma across the disease continuum, ECOG-ACRIN Spring 2017 Group Meeting, Washington, DC, 5/4/2017
• McQuade JL. The Obesity Paradox in Melanoma, Annual Retreat of Skin Cancer SPOREs, New Haven, CT, 7/10/2017
• McQuade JL. Biological mechanisms underlying the obesity paradox in malignant melanoma, Sarcopenia, Cancer, and Near-term Survival: Annual Meeting of the SCANS Research Group, Oakland, CA, 5/30/2018
• McQuade J. Obesity, microbiome, diet and immunotherapy, Current Trends in Immuno-Oncology, Sydney, 3/15/2019
• McQuade J. Energy Balance in the Era of Immune and Targeted Therapy:  Obesity, Diet, and the Microbiome, Obesity, Cancer and Metabolic Diseases Research Group Meeting, MSKCC, New York, NY, 1/13/2020
• McQuade J. The obesity paradox: From host to tumor metabolism, Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) webinar, Virtual, 9/22/2021
• McQuade J. The obesity paradox: The interplay between host and tumor metabolism, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, Birmingham, AL, 10/15/2021

• Conquer Cancer Foundation/ASCO: Molecular, Immune and Clinical Significance of Obesity in Advanced Melanoma (2017)
• Khalifa Foundation & Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nayhan Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy (2019)
• The Elkins Foundation: Molecular, immune, and clinical significance of obesity in advanced melanoma (2019)
• The MD Anderson Physician Scientist Program (2021)
• ASCO Conquer Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award: The impact of interactions between adiposity and androgen signaling inhibition on outcomes in men with metastatic prostate cancer (2021, PI - Andrew Hahn)