Ravid Straussman

Ravid Straussman made the surprising discovery that bacteria residing within tumors can metabolize chemotherapy drugs and confer drug resistance. His laboratory demonstrated that bacteria within pancreatic tumors can deactivate gemcitabine through enzymatic activity. He subsequently contributed to the landmark study demonstrating that bacteria are present within cells of many human tumor types. His work opened an entirely new dimension of cancer biology - the intratumoral microbiome - and has implications for drug delivery, treatment resistance, and potential bacterial targeting strategies.