How the gut bacterium Akkermansia affects gut damage after blood/stem-cell transplants
Akkermansia muciniphila mucolytic and immunomodulatory properties and intestinal GVHD
Researchers are comparing different forms of the gut bacterium Akkermansia to understand how it may change the risk of gut inflammation and graft-versus-host disease in people having hematopoietic 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 ID | NIH-11196070 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are having a hematopoietic cell (blood/stem-cell) transplant, this project looks at whether different genetic types of the gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila change the risk of neutropenic fever and intestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Scientists will analyze Akkermansia genomes from transplant patients and use mouse transplant models to test how bacterial differences affect mucin (gut mucus) breakdown, gut ecology, and damage to the intestinal lining. They will also study whether molecules on the bacterial capsule change immune signaling and whether targeted bacteriophages can remove Akkermansia to reduce GVHD in mice. The work combines patient samples, bacterial genetics, and lab experiments to point toward ways to prevent or treat transplant-related gut complications.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell (blood/stem-cell) transplantation who can provide stool samples and clinical data through the transplant center.
Not a fit: People not undergoing HCT or those with unrelated non-transplant gut conditions are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could reveal microbiome-driven causes of transplant gut injury and point to new preventive or treatment strategies such as targeted bacteriophages or microbiome-based risk tests.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have linked Akkermansia and other microbiome changes to worse post-transplant outcomes and animal work shows microbiota affect GVHD, while bacteriophage-based selective depletion is a newer, experimental approach.
Where this research is happening
Duarte, United States
- Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope — Duarte, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Valdivia, Raphael H — Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope
- Study coordinator: Valdivia, Raphael H
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.