Children's oral bacteria and infection risk during stem cell transplant
Effects of the oral microbiome on Adverse Outcomes of Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
This project looks at whether mouth bacteria in children getting stem cell transplants can move into the bloodstream and raise the chance of serious infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11317230 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child is having a hematopoietic (stem cell) transplant, researchers will collect dental information and take swabs of the mouth and blood samples before and during the transplant period. They will compare children who have active dental cavities to those who do not and use genetic sequencing to identify which microbes are present. The team will look for evidence that microbes from the mouth show up in the blood and study how different kinds of microbes interact across the mouth and bloodstream over time. The goal is to link pre-transplant dental health with infections and other adverse outcomes after transplant.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children aged 0–11 years scheduled for pediatric hematopoietic (stem cell) transplant who can provide oral samples and have blood samples collected as part of their transplant care are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Children who are not undergoing stem cell transplant, adults, or those whose infections clearly come from non-oral sources are unlikely to get direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to better dental care or infection-prevention steps that reduce life-threatening bloodstream infections in children undergoing transplant.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier and preliminary studies, including the investigators' own work, have found links between active dental cavities and bloodstream infections after transplant, but tracking microbes from the mouth into the blood with detailed sequencing is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Den Besten, Pamela K — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Den Besten, Pamela K
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 below.