# Operationalizing Team Science at the Academic Cancer Center Network to Unveil the Structure and Function of the Gut Microbiome

## TL;DR

This paper explores how academic cancer centers can work together to better understand the gut microbiome's role in cancer.

## Contribution

The paper highlights the potential of team science in academic cancer centers to advance microbiome research.

## Key findings

- The gut microbiome influences cancer prevention and treatment response.
- Academic cancer centers have the resources to lead microbiome research.
- City of Hope is an example of successful team science in this field.

## Abstract

Oncologists increasingly recognize the microbiome as an important facilitator of health as well as a contributor to disease, including, specifically, cancer. Our knowledge of the etiologies, mechanisms, and modulation of microbiome states that ameliorate or promote cancer continues to evolve. The progressive refinement and adoption of “omic” technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) and utilization of advanced computational methods accelerate this evolution. The academic cancer center network, with its immediate access to extensive, multidisciplinary expertise and scientific resources, has the potential to catalyze microbiome research. Here, we review our current understanding of the role of the gut microbiome in cancer prevention, predisposition, and response to therapy. We underscore the promise of operationalizing the academic cancer center network to uncover the structure and function of the gut microbiome; we highlight the unique microbiome-related expert resources available at the City of Hope of Comprehensive Cancer Center as an example of the potential of team science to achieve novel scientific and clinical discovery.