A study published in Science linking the gut microbiome to the efficacy of PD‑1 immunotherapy in epithelial tumors has been awarded the Bial Award in Biomedicine and its €350,000 prize. The work showed that specific gut bacterial communities modulate patients’ responses to checkpoint blockade, offering possible biomarkers and translational paths for combination strategies. Investigators reported mechanistic and clinical correlations indicating that microbiome composition affects anti‑PD‑1 activity; the award recognizes translational impact and the therapeutic potential of modulating gut microbes to improve immunotherapy outcomes. The prize highlights mounting industry interest in microbiome diagnostics and adjunctive therapeutics to sensitize tumors to immune checkpoint inhibitors.