Aug. 15 Preclinical Quick Takes: Implicating the tumor microbiome in cancer; plus computational pain classification, multiplexed CRISPR and LUCA

MD Anderson links microbiome to pancreatic cancer
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center researchers suggested the tumor microbiome can predict survival in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients and gut microbiome transfer can alter tumor microbiome and reduce tumor growth. As reported in a Cell paper, the researchers identified a diverse tumor microbiome signature containing multiple species that was associated with long term survival in patients. In a mouse model of the disease, fecal transplants from PDAC patients with no evidence of active disease decreased tumor growth, while fecal transplants from patients with advanced disease increased tumor growth (see "The Tumor Microbiome Emerges as a New Source of Translational Opportunities").

Computational tool to classify pain in mice
A University of Pennsylvania team developed a machine learning-based scoring system trained on high-speed video monitoring of behaviors at sub-second time frames to classify behaviors related to pain in mice. The team showed in a Cell Reports article that when trained on images from the same genotype and sex, the method correctly classified behaviors in 39 of 40 mice exposed to painful mechanical stimuli and 38 of 40 mice exposed to gentle stimuli. Standard animal pain models may not accurately reflect clinical translation (see "Testing Reflex vs. Reality in Pain")...