The Microbiome Research Interest Group (RIG) is a formal research group within the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN). It grew from the exORIEN Consortium, expanding the original intermember project into an ongoing collaboration on the tumor microbiome.
The group brings together investigators across cancer centers to study microbial signals in tumor sequencing data, their relationships with host biology and clinical outcomes, and mechanisms that can be tested in experimental models. The ORIEN network overview describes the Microbiome RIG and its shared computational foundation.
Explore the original exORIEN manuscript collection, including the melanoma, colorectal hypoxia, early-onset colorectal cancer, and MEGA studies. The selected subsequent ORIEN tumor-microbiome studies and related experimental work below extend that foundation. Journal articles, public preprints, and conference abstracts are listed separately; the status of each entry was checked in September 2026.
Published research articles
Colorectal cancer: microbial predictors of metastasis
Parajuli B, Midya V, Kiddle R, et al. (2025). Primary tumor microbiomes predict distant metastasis of colorectal cancer. npj Precision Oncology, 9, 405.
This study examined tumor microbial profiles and five-year metastasis outcomes in an ORIEN colorectal cancer cohort, with validation in an independent University of Iowa cohort. It identified microbial communities and candidate pathobionts associated with metastatic risk. The paper explicitly identifies collaborating authors as members of the ORIEN Microbiome RIG.
Read the paper · PubMed · Open-access full text
Appalachian Kentucky: survival and tumor biology
McDonald HG, Reagan AM, Faisal ASM, et al. (2025). Survival Disparity and the Unique Genomic and Microbiome Profiles of Colon Cancer in Appalachian Kentucky. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 240(4), 612–624.
An analysis of Appalachian and non-Appalachian patients connected clinical disparities with differences in tumor gene expression and microbial profiles. Tumor microbes were identified using the exotic pipeline, extending the shared profiling approach to a population-focused question.
Read the paper · PubMed · Open-access full text
Appalachian Kentucky: a multicenter cohort comparison
Chow Z, Liu J, He D, et al. (2026; first published online in 2025). Colon cancer in Appalachian Kentucky: Unique genetic, microbiome and obesity findings in a cohort comparison. Human Genetics and Genomics Advances, 7(1), 100527.
Using ORIEN data, this study compared Appalachian Kentucky tumors with matched tumors from other states. It examined how genomic features, immune-cell composition, microbial profiles, and obesity differed between populations.
Read the paper · PubMed · Open-access full text
Public preprints
Endometrial cancer: recurrence and the tumor environment
Gonzalez Bosquet J, Osazuwa-Peters O, Wagner VM, et al. (2026). Intrinsic tumor factors and extrinsic environmental and social exposures contribute to endometrial cancer recurrence patterns. Research Square. Posted January 30, 2026. Preprint; not yet peer reviewed.
This multi-institution ORIEN analysis integrates tumor-associated microbial signals and immune context with clinical, genomic, environmental, and social factors to investigate recurrence across endometrial cancer risk groups.
Read the preprint · PubMed record · Open-access full text
Conference abstracts
These are published meeting abstracts, distinct from full journal articles.
2026 · Lung cancer, Candida, and hypoxia
Chatterjee D, Grencewicz DJ, Loncar A, et al. Intratumoral Candida albicans associates with hypoxia and poor outcomes in non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). AACR Annual Meeting 2026. Cancer Research, 86(7 Supplement), abstract 63.
ORIEN tumor RNA-seq analyses combined with mouse and cell experiments examine associations between intratumoral fungi, hypoxia, survival, and treatment resistance. The study uses MEC-TX to compare patients with similar treatment histories.
2025 · Ovarian tumor microbes and outcomes
Mehra Y, Hoyd R, Spakowicz D, et al. Unveiling the tumor-associated microbiome in ovarian cancer: Correlations with clinical features, outcomes, and treatment strategies. AACR Special Conference: Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research. Cancer Research, 85(18 Supplement), abstract B020.
The Microbiome RIG profiled ORIEN ovarian tumors using exotic and examined microbial differences by stage and subtype, along with associations between Candida abundance and survival.
2025 · Candida, tumor growth, and treatment resistance
Grencewicz D, Loncar A, Wu R, et al.; ORIEN Microbiome Research Interest Group; Spakowicz D. Tumor colonization with Candida albicans increases tumor growth and decreases treatment response by influencing tumor hypoxia and immune activity. AACR Annual Meeting; Chicago, IL; April 25–30, 2025. Cancer Research, 85(8 Supplement 1), abstract 6521.
This study combines ORIEN tumor analyses with experimental models to investigate how Candida changes tumor oxygenation, immune activity, and treatment response.
2024 · Pancreatic cancer and Candida-associated gene expression
Ear PH, Hu M, Shilyansky J, et al. Epithelial-mesenchymal-transition gene signature changes and poor oncological outcome in Candida-positive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. AACR Annual Meeting 2024. Cancer Research, 84(6 Supplement), abstract 7615.
This study combined a surgical cohort with ORIEN pancreatic tumor data to examine Candida, treatment response, gene-expression differences, and survival.
2024 · Experimental follow-up: fungal colonization and radiation response
Grencewicz DJ, Loncar A, Hoyd R, et al. Gavage with Candida albicans leads to fungal colonization of colorectal tumors and decreased response to radiotherapy. AACR Annual Meeting 2024. Cancer Research, 84(6 Supplement), abstract 1282.
A mouse study examined gut-to-tumor fungal translocation and changes in tumor gene expression and radiation response, extending the consortium’s clinical questions into experimental models.
2024 · Intratumoral fungi and host gene expression
Loncar A, Grencewicz D, Hoyd R, et al.; Spakowicz D. The effect of intra-tumoral Candida albicans on host gene expression. AACR Annual Meeting 2024. Cancer Research, 84(6 Supplement), abstract 6842.
Posters and presentations
The following entries are recorded in Daniel Spakowicz’s CV. Meeting presentations are listed as such, rather than as submitted journal manuscripts.
2026
- Nambi T, Carson A, Dhrubo D, Spakowicz D. “Candida albicans, Treatment Trajectories, and Survival: A Four-Cancer Analysis of the ORIEN Cohort & A multi-objective optimizer for treatment-trajectory clustering.” Poster, CREATES, July 24, 2026. Presenter: Tharun Nambi.
2025
- Loncar A, et al.; Spakowicz D. “Tumor colonization with Candida albicans increases tumor growth and decreases treatment response by influencing tumor hypoxia and immune activity.” Oral presentation, Pelotonia Scholars Symposium. Presenter: Alexander Loncar; Best Undergraduate Presentation Award.
- Grencewicz D, et al.; Spakowicz D. “Tumor colonization with Candida albicans increases tumor growth and decreases treatment response.” Oral presentation, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Microbiome Workshop. Presenter: Dennis Grencewicz; Best Trainee Presentation Award.
2024
- Chakravarthy K, Hoyd R, ORIEN Microbiome RIG, Jhawar S, Spakowicz D. “Spatial associations between tumor microbiome and immune microenvironment within breast cancer subtypes.” Meeting presentation, ORIEN Scientific Summit, Tampa, FL.
- Chakravarthy K, Hoyd R, ORIEN Microbiome RIG, Jhawar SR, Spakowicz D. “Exploring the tumor microbiome in bulkRNAseq data.” Meeting presentation, ORIEN Scientific Summit, Tampa, FL.
- Spakowicz D. “Update on the tumor microbiome presentations at AACR24.” Invited talk, ORIEN Microbiome Research Interest Group Meeting, May 7, 2024; online.
- Spakowicz D. “Exploring the tumor microbiome with ORIEN sequencing data.” Invited talk, University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer Control and Population Science Research Program Meeting, March 4, 2024; online.
Shared tools and collaboration
The RIG builds on tools for estimating microbes in tumor RNA-seq (exotic), scoring host gene-expression signatures (tmesig), assessing survival associations (mt.surv), and comparing treatment histories (mec-tx). The linked stickers beside individual studies identify documented tool use.
Original exORIEN collection · Software and documentation · Lab publications
To discuss collaboration or contribute a published or submitted tumor-microbiome manuscript or abstract to this collection, contact Daniel Spakowicz.