Bile acids and gut graft‑versus‑host disease
Official title: The role of bile acid metabolomics in graft-versus-host disease
Funded at Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope · NIH-11310114 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will measure bile acids and related metabolites to find how they affect gut graft‑versus‑host disease in people who’ve had allogeneic stem cell transplants.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Duarte, United States) |
| Project start | March 15, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $585,843 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA228308-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11310114 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people who have received or will receive an allogeneic hematopoietic cell (stem cell) transplant, especially those with or at risk for gastrointestinal GVHD.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who have not had an allogeneic transplant or who only have non‑GI conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
What this research studies
This project will analyze blood and stool samples from people who have had allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplants to map bile acid changes linked to gastrointestinal GVHD. The team will combine gut microbiome sequencing, immune cell testing, and metabolomics to see how bile acids, gut bacteria, and immune responses interact. They will also use animal models to test whether specific bile acid patterns can worsen or protect against GVHD. Results will be compared with prior multi-center patient data to look for biomarkers and potential treatment targets.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to new biomarkers or therapies that reduce gut GVHD severity and improve recovery after transplant.
How similar studies have gone: Previous patient and animal studies from this group and others have linked gut microbiome changes to GVHD and survival, so this bile‑acid focused work builds on encouraging prior evidence though clinical interventions remain experimental.
Where this research is happening
-
Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope
Duarte, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Van Den Brink, Marcel R M — Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope
- Study coordinator: Van Den Brink, Marcel R M
Related research
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Investigating bile acids in graft-versus-host disease
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.