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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Jessica Glenza

The ick factor that could save a life: US cancer researchers look to fecal waste for treatment clues

Cancer United States Mayo Clinic the Mayo Clinic Bacteria NIH
a pair of gloved hands holds a tablet displaying an x-ray of human intestines
‘Researchers have experimented with colonizing patients’ guts with new bacteria through fecal transplants.’ Photograph: Andrey Mitrofanov/Getty Images

A leading US clinic hopes its fecal waste biobank will help researchers make new discoveries about how to treat cancer patients – one of several efforts to turn human waste into medicine.

The Mayo Clinic biobank is part of researchers’ years-long effort to “personalize” medicine by uncovering how the microbiome changes how patients react to cancer medications.

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