Faecalibaterium prausnitzii strain EXL01 boosts efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Gut microbiota impacts responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). High level of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii has been associated with a positive response to ICI in multiple cancer types. Here, we show in two independent cohorts of patients with non-small cell lung cancer and advanced melanoma that high level of F. prausnitzii at baseline is positively associated with a better clinical response to ICI. In a mouse preclinical model, we show that the F. prausnitzii strain EXL01, already in clinical development for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, restores the anti-tumor response to ICI in the context of antibiotic-induced microbiota perturbation at clinical and tumor transcriptomics level. In vitro, EXL01 strain enhances T cell activation in the presence of ICI. Interestingly, oral administration of EXL01 strain is not associated with a change in fecal microbiota diversity or composition suggesting a direct effect on immune cells in the small intestine. To investigate the effects of EXL01 strain at the tumor level, we conducted RNA sequencing analysis on the tumors biopsies collected 13 days post tumor inoculation