New microbiome test detects cancer-causing bacteria before disease develops

For decades, cancer has been understood primarily as a disease driven by genetic mutations. The dominant approach in oncology has been to search for these mutations within human DNA, hoping to pinpoint the underlying causes of the disease. But despite years of research, this approach has yielded limited answers – only 5 to 10% of cancers can be explained by inherited genetic mutations. At the same time, cancer rates, particularly in developed nations, have surged over recent generations, even though human DNA has remained unchanged. This raises a critical question: What else is driving cancer?

Recent research points to a new culprit: bacteria and viruses within the microbiome. Mounting evidence suggests that certain microbes don’t just correlate with cancer – they actively cause the DNA mutations that lead to the disease. If we can identify and target these microbial drivers, we may be able to detect and diagnose cancer far earlier – or even prevent it before harmful mutations occur.

Explore more of the latest news, reviews, and resources in our Accelerating Cancer Research Feature here.

Cancer culprits in the microbiome

“With the advent of next-generation sequencing and the Human Genome Project, we thought we’d be able to explain cancer through genetics, but it turns out the genome only explains a small portion of cancer cases,” explains Mark Driscoll, co-founder and CSO of Intus Biosciences. “We know now that bacteria are the driving force behind many cancers, and that these cancers are the final stage of a journey that begins with infection by specific bacteria.”

Scientists have already identified 11 microorganisms that can directly cause cancer in humans. These include one bacterium (Helicobacter pylori), seven viruses (such as Epstein-Barr virus and human papillomavirus), and three parasitic worms. Collectively, these microbes are responsible for approximately 2.2 million cancer cases worldwide each year.

A bacterial breakthrough in cancer diagnosis

As researchers have begun to understand the role of bacteria in cancer, there has been growing interest in their use for cancer diagnosis and early detection. However, until recently, no existing technology had the scope and sensitivity to advance these findings or apply them to healthcare.

That was until Intus Biosciences developed Titan-1 – the first technology capable of generating microbiome data down to the strain level and performing population-scale testing. The test is underpinned by a type of sequencing technology called long-read from PacBio. It works by fully sequencing the 16S gene in bacteria, which is used like a barcode to identify different microbes. Previously, other sequencing technologies have only been able to partially sequence the 16S gene, meaning they struggle to differentiate between closely related strains. By leveraging PacBio’s high-resolution long-read sequencing to capture the full 16S gene as well as other complex genomic regions, Intus’ Titan-1 leverages enables a much more accurate picture of microbial communities. Combining this sequencing approach with AI-powered data analysis, the platform can differentiate both known and unknown bacterial strains in patient samples and detect microbiome patterns linked to cancer and other diseases.

“With Titan-1, we now have the ability to produce early-stage diagnostics for cancer,” says Paul Denslow, CEO of Intus Biosciences. “And this should only improve over time because our AI-driven platform learns from every sample it processes. The more it sees, the better it gets at identifying disease markers.”

From early detection to prevention

Titan-1 has the potential to fill the critical gap in early-stage cancer detection. “Cancer-related DNA mutations can be valuable biomarkers for diagnosis, but they often don’t appear in the earliest stages of the disease,” shares Denslow. “By the time they do, the cancer is usually advanced – and that’s too late.” Titan-1 has already successfully identified microbial signatures linked to colorectal and pancreatic cancers, two cancers notorious for late detection and poor survival rates.

Beyond early detection, Titan-1’s strain-level data also opens avenues to novel treatments and interventions targeting specific pathogenic bacteria.

Denslow explains: “If you're searching within the human genome for the cause of cervical cancer, you'll never find it – because it’s driven by a virus. The virus triggers the mutations, but in a sense, almost who cares what those mutations are, how they function, or how cancer develops. The key is eliminating the virus. By creating a vaccine, we control the cause.”

“The same principle applies to colorectal cancer,” he continues. “Certain bacteria produce a genotoxin that causes the mutations found in colorectal tumor cells. If you wipe out the bacteria, you wipe out the cancer.”

The start of a healthcare revolution

The microbiome is an untapped frontier in medicine. Countless studies have shown bacteria play an active role in cancer initiation and progression, and many autoimmune, neurodegenerative, and other diseases have a similar connection to bacteria. As bacterial DNA continues to evolve in response to modern diets, food production changes, and increased antibiotic use, it may also be playing a role in driving the rising rates of cancer.

Identifying and targeting these microbial drivers of disease unlocks a host of new possibilities, from earlier disease detection to developing microbiome-based prevention strategies and discovering novel therapeutic targets. As Titan-1 continues to expand our understanding of bacteria and health, Driscoll and Denslow believe it will not only make discoveries for diagnosis and early detection, but power fundamental new approaches across multiple diseases, for prevention and treatment.