Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41749306›Full record

ArticleJournal of translational medicine2026

Distinct gut virome profiles are associated with response to anti-PD-1 therapy in non-small cell lung cancer.

Zhuo Liu, Meihong Liu, Huixiang Chen, Shenghui Li, Ning Zheng, Guorui Xing, Yue Zhang, Jie Xu, Min Li, Chenghaotian Xiao and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Zhuo Liu *Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
Meihong Liu *Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
Huixiang Chen *Puensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China.
Shenghui LiPuensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China.
Ning ZhengCenter for Microbiome Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Guorui XingPuensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China.
Yue ZhangPuensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China.
Jie XuPuensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China.
Min LiPuensum Genetech Institute, Wuhan, China.
Chenghaotian XiaoSchool of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Science, Hubei Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine for Neurodegenerative Disease, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China.
Tong LuCenter for Microbiome Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Qiulong YanCenter for Microbiome Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Zhixin LeiSchool of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Life Science, Hubei Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine for Neurodegenerative Disease, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China. leizhixin@whut.edu.cn.
Min FengDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China. fengfeng0716@163.com.
Yanxia LiDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China. liyanxia001@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe gut microbiota is a key modulator of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) efficacy, yet the contribution of the gut virome remains poorly defined, particularly in advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we characterized the gut virome and explored its potential role in shaping response to PD-1 blockade.

methodsWe performed metagenomic virome profiling of fecal samples from 338 advanced NSCLC patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors and evaluated model generalizability in an independent external cohort (n = 30). Viral diversity, taxonomic composition, and functional potential were analyzed. Virus–bacteria co-occurrence networks were constructed, and random forest classifiers were developed to predict treatment response.

resultsViral Shannon diversity decreased progressively with poorer clinical response, and β-diversity analyses revealed distinct virome community structures between responders (R) and non-responders (NR). Differential abundance analysis identified 194 NR-enriched vOTUs, predominantly assigned to Peduoviridae and Inoviridae, and 594 R-enriched vOTUs, mainly from Herelleviridae and Microviridae. Host prediction indicated that NR-enriched vOTUs frequently targeted bacterial genera such as Clostridium_M, Bacteroides, and Escherichia, whereas R-enriched vOTUs targeted beneficial genera such as Faecalibacterium and Roseburia. Network analyses further revealed response-specific virus–bacteria interaction modules. Functional profiling showed that NR-enriched vOTUs were associated with metabolic functions, including K01689 (eno; enolase). A virus-only random forest model outperformed a bacterium-only model in predicting response (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.768 vs. 0.664) and maintained superior performance in the external cohort (AUC = 0.742). In addition, Akkermansia muciniphila positivity was associated with a higher-diversity, responder-favorable virome configuration.

conclusionsThe gut virome undergoes marked remodeling during anti–PD-1 therapy in advanced NSCLC and displays distinct taxonomic, ecological, and functional signatures associated with clinical outcome. These findings support the gut virome as a strong predictor of ICI response and highlight its potential as both a biomarker and a therapeutic target.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungGastrointestinal MicrobiomeImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsLung NeoplasmsProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorViromeFecesFemaleHumansMaleTreatment OutcomeImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorAkkermansia muciniphilaBacteriophageGut viromeImmune checkpoint inhibitorsNon-small cell lung cancerPD-1 blockade

Identifiers

PMID41749306
PMCPMC13041121

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.