# Functional roles of the human microbiome and metabolome in oral cancer

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2024 · $234,000

## Abstract

SUMMARY
 Head and neck cancer (HNC) remains a lethal disease despite concerted efforts to improve its diagnosis and
treatment. Although smoking, drinking, and HPV infection are closely linked to HNC, emerging evidence also
suggests that changes in the human microbiome are associated with HNC. However, little is known about how
altered microbiota affect HNC pathogenesis or its treatment. The oral cavity, which is directly relevant to the
local microenvironment in HNC, harbors one of the most complex and diverse microbiomes of all human
anatomical sub-sites. However, how the oral microbiota shapes the local and systemic environment in HNC
pathogenesis is completely unknown.
 Our long-term goal is to determine the functional role(s) and mechanisms of action of the microbiome in HNC
and to translate these findings into novel preventative and therapeutic strategies. In the proposed study, we will
extend and deepen previous studies of human microbiota in HNC, focusing on a prevalent form of HNC with
high mortality and morbidity, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Our Specific Aims are as follows 1) To
define OSCC-associated metagenomic and metabolomic signatures in treatment naïve OSCC cases and non-
OSCC controls and 2) To determine whether microbiota transfer from human OSCC cases to mouse models
promotes tumorigenesis and characterize the underlying molecular mechanisms. Our approach is innovative
because it represents a departure from the status quo by utilizing unique experimental mouse models and state-
of-art technologies to move beyond observational human studies to delineate the molecular, cellular, and
immunological mechanisms induced by the human microbiome in OSCC pathogenesis. The proposed research
is significant because it is expected to advance and expand understanding of how the microbiome as a whole,
as well as specific microbial taxa, genes, and pathways, impacts OSCC. Ultimately, such knowledge has the
potential to be developed into effective therapies for OSCC patients, a pressing need given the significant
incidence and poor prognosis of this disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11052367
- **Project number:** 1R21DE033826-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Daniel N Frank
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $234,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-18 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11052367

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11052367, Functional roles of the human microbiome and metabolome in oral cancer (1R21DE033826-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11052367. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*