Gut bacteria that break down mucus and transplant complications
Official title: Mucus-degrading intestinal bacteria and toxicities of hematopoietic cell transplantation
Funded at Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope · NIH-11402470 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at whether mucus-eating gut bacteria and certain antibiotics make gut damage and infections worse for people getting allogeneic blood stem cell transplants.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Duarte, United States) |
| Project start | September 21, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $124,972 |
| NIH project number | 3P01HL170046-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11402470 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people scheduled for or recovering from allogeneic hematopoietic (blood/stem cell) transplantation who may provide clinical data or tissue samples.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation or whose conditions are unrelated to gut complications from transplant are unlikely to directly benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If you are having an allogeneic stem cell transplant, this program looks at how specific gut bacteria (like Akkermansia and Bacteroides) that eat the protective mucus lining may contribute to gut graft-versus-host disease and fevers during low white blood cell counts. The team combines laboratory experiments in mice with analysis of samples and data from transplant patients to see how bacterial mixes and common antibiotics (for example meropenem) change the mucus layer and inflammation. The project brings together several linked studies and shared lab resources to connect basic findings to what is seen in people. Their goal is to find biological signals that could guide safer antibiotic use or new microbiome-based approaches for transplant patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could suggest ways to reduce gut complications after transplant by changing antibiotic choices or developing microbiome-based treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies and analyses of transplant patients have linked mucin-degrading bacteria and some broad-spectrum antibiotics to worse gut GVHD and infection-related fevers, but clinical interventions based on this biology are still limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope
Duarte, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jenq, Robert — Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope
- Study coordinator: Jenq, Robert
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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.