Nanoparticle Pharmacomicrobiomics: Reprogramming the Microbiome-Immune Axis for Cancer Immunotherapy

The composition and functional activity of the gut microbiome are important host-associated factors that influence the efficacy and responsiveness of cancer immunotherapy. Traditional microbiome modulation methods lack precision, consistency, and extensive clinical applicability. Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) represent an emerging platform for investigating more controllable approaches to microbiome-associated therapeutic modulation. NPs possess physicochemical characteristics that can influence the gut microbial ecosystem. This review introduces the concept of "nanoparticle pharmacomicrobiomics" as an emerging framework that links NP design to defined microbial shifts and their potential pharmacological and immunological consequences. Through integrated literature synthesis, bibliometric co-occurrence analysis, clinical trial synthesis, and mechanistic interpretation, we develop a conceptual framework that describes potential relationships among NP properties, microbial ecology, metabolite signalling, immune modulation, and cancer immunotherapy. We emphasize the integration of nanomaterials, microbiome science, and immunology as an emerging interdisciplinary direction in oncology. This framework provides a conceptual basis that may facilitate the development of future strategies that integrate nanotechnology with microbiome and immune modulation to improve precision cancer immunotherapy.