Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Erika S. Varady, L. Angel Ayala, Pauline U. Nguyen, Vanessa M. Scarfone, Alborz Karimzadeh, Cuiwen Zhou, Xiyu Chen, Scott A. Greilach, Craig M. Walsh, Matthew A. Inlay
Summary: Donor cell conditioning with the glucocorticoid fluticasone propionate (FLU) prior to transplantation increases HSC engraftment and reduces the severity and incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in allogeneic hosts.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Laura Solan, Diego Carbonell, Paula Muniz, Nieves Dorado, Elena Landete, Maria Chicano-Lavilla, Javier Anguita, Jorge Gayoso, Mi Kwon, Jose Luis Diez-Martin, Carolina Martinez-Laperche, Ismael Buno
Summary: This study investigated the significance of elafin plasma levels in haplo-HSCT with PTCy, revealing a correlation between elafin levels and the risk of severe skin aGVHD. Higher elafin levels were associated with a higher incidence of severe skin aGVHD, suggesting that measuring elafin may help in early identification and improve treatment and prognosis for these patients.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Konradin F. Muskens, Caroline A. Lindemans, Mirjam E. Belderbos
Summary: GvHD is a major complication of HCT, causing severe hematopoietic dysfunction. Immune activation during GvHD damages hematopoietic stem cells and their niche in the bone marrow, leading to reduced functionality. Complications and treatments associated with HCT exacerbate hematopoietic dysfunction.
Article
Oncology
Delaney Wolfe, Qiuhong Zhao, Emma Siegel, Marcin Puto, Danielle Murphy, Julianna Roddy, Yvonne Efebera, Justin Tossey
Summary: Patients with GVHD who received letermovir prophylaxis had significantly fewer CMV infections, reduced non-relapsed mortality, and improved overall survival, suggesting that letermovir prophylaxis improves outcomes in this high-risk population.
Article
Immunology
Thomas Krueger, Rebekka Wehner, Maik Herbig, Martin Kraeter, Michael Kramer, Jan Moritz Middeke, Friedrich Stoelzel, Catrin List, Katharina Egger-Heidrich, Raphael Teipel, Uta Oelschlaegel, Martin Wermke, Helena Jambor, Manja Wobus, Johannes Schetelig, Korinna Joehrens, Torsten Tonn, Julien Subburayalu, Marc Schmitz, Martin Bornhauser, Malte von Bonin
Summary: Functional impairment of the bone marrow niche, particularly a decrease in mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), is associated with cytopenia and graft failure after hematopoietic cell transplantation. Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) is shown to significantly reduce MSC numbers, and this reduction can be observed before clinical onset of aGvHD. The different phenotypic and functional characteristics of MSCs depending on the occurrence of aGvHD suggest that they may contribute to alloreactivity after transplantation.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Shifra Ash, Nadir Askenasy
Summary: Neuroblastoma is a common childhood tumor that is difficult to treat. High risk neuroblastoma patients have poor prognosis and limited response to radiochemotherapy, but may benefit from hematopoietic cell transplantation. Allogeneic and haploidentical transplants reinstate immune surveillance and enhance anti-tumor reactions. Post-transplant immunomodulation using lymphocyte and natural killer cell infusions, as well as introduction of antigen-presenting cells and neutralization of inhibitory signals, show promise in promoting anti-tumor reactivity. More research is needed to understand suppressor factors in the tumor stroma and systemic levels.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN ONCOLOGY HEMATOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Pediatrics
Jacob Rozmus, Sima T. Bhatt, Nataliya Prokopenko Buxbaum, Geoffrey D. E. Cuvelier, Amanda M. Li, Carrie L. Kitko, Kirk R. Schultz
Summary: Hematopoietic cell transplant is an effective therapy for high risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia in pediatric patients, but graft-versus-host disease diminishes its efficacy. This review describes various interventions that aim to enhance the graft-versus-leukemia effect while limiting the harmful consequences of graft-versus-host disease.
FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Bhagirathbhai Dholaria, Myriam Labopin, Jaime Sanz, Annalisa Ruggeri, Jan Cornelissen, Helene Labussiere-Wallet, Didier Blaise, Edouard Forcade, Patrice Chevallier, Anna Grassi, Ludmila Zubarovskaya, Jurgen Kuball, Patrice Ceballos, Fabio Ciceri, Frederic Baron, Bipin N. Savani, Arnon Nagler, Mohamad Mohty
Summary: This study compared the outcomes of CBT and single-allele-mismatched MMUD allo-HCT with PTCy in acute myeloid leukemia. The results showed that CBT was associated with higher incidence of graft failure and non-relapse mortality compared to MMUD, leading to lower leukemia-free survival, overall survival, and GVHD-free, relapse-free survival. In conclusion, MMUD allo-HCT with PTCy may be a preferred choice over CBT for patients without a fully matched donor.
JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Lu Tang, Zhigang Liu, Tao Li, Tian Dong, Qiuhui Wu, Ting Niu, Ting Liu, Jie Ji
Summary: Through investigating 1091 articles, it was found that the PTCy prophylaxis regimen can reduce the incidence of aGVHD, decrease NRM and EBV-related complications, and achieve better OS compared to the ATG-based regimen. There was no significant difference between the two groups in cGVHD, RI, CMV reactivation, and BKV-related HC.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Ana Claudia Scaraficci, Patricia Maria Fernandes, Fabio Abreu Alves, Jayr Schmidt Filho, Graziella Chagas Jaguar
Summary: The study revealed that the mean time for oral GVHD to develop after AHCT was 229 days, with pain and xerostomia being the main symptoms, and ulcers being the most common oral manifestation. Patients who received myeloablative conditioning regimen had a higher survival rate.
SUPPORTIVE CARE IN CANCER
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Nidhi Sharma, Qiuhong Zhao, Bin Ni, Patrick Elder, Marcin Puto, Don M. Benson, Ashley Rosko, Maria Chaudhry, Srinivas Devarakonda, Naresh Bumma, Abdullah Khan, Sumithira Vasu, Samantha Jaglowski, Basem M. William, Alice Mims, Hannah Choe, Karilyn Larkin, Jonathan Brammer, Sarah Wall, Nicole Grieselhuber, Ayman Saad, Sam Penza, Yvonne Efebera
Summary: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a potentially curative treatment for various hematological malignancies and disorders, but is often complicated by graft-versus-host disease and infectious complications. Tacrolimus is commonly used for GVHD prophylaxis, but the impact of early Tacrolimus levels on aGVHD is not well understood. Achieving optimal Tacrolimus levels early post-transplant may help mitigate the risk of aGVHD, but higher levels beyond the first week may lead to suppressed graft versus tumor effect and higher relapse rates.
Article
Immunology
Janina Linnik, Mohammedyaseen Syedbasha, Hans-Michael Kaltenbach, Dominik Vogt, Yvonne Hollenstein, Lukas Kaufmann, Nathan Cantoni, Sabine Ruosch-Girsberger, Antonia M. S. Mueller, Urs Schanz, Thomas Pabst, Georg Stuessi, Maja Weisser, Joerg Halter, Joerg Stelling, Adrian Egli
Summary: Patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation exhibit heterogeneous antibody responses to seasonal influenza vaccination, with factors such as type of immunosuppressive treatment, absolute lymphocyte count, and donor relationship playing a role. While HSCT patients required 2 vaccine doses for adequate responses, they can elicit potent antibody responses over time. However, factors like an unrelated donor, low lymphocyte counts, and certain treatments can lower the odds of responding to vaccination.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Hematology
Wenli Zhang, Ruirui Gui, Yingling Zu, Binglei Zhang, Zhen Li, Yanli Zhang, Xianjing Wang, Shuli Guo, Xinrong Zhan, Yuewen Fu, Yongping Song, Jian Zhou
Summary: This study demonstrates that the combination of reduced-dose post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) and low-dose post-transplant anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) in haploidentical peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (haplo-PBSCT) significantly reduces the incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and improves overall survival and disease-free survival.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Robert Puckrin, Alex Chi Fung Kwan, Nikki Blosser, Catherine Leyshon, Peter Duggan, Andrew Daly, Victor Zepeda, Douglas Stewart, Ahsan Chaudhry, Jan Storek, Kareem Jamani
Summary: Corticosteroids are not effective as GVHD prophylaxis for patients with CNI intolerance, as they may increase the risks of acute GVHD and poor outcomes.
Article
Hematology
Feiqiong Gao, Jiawei Zhang, Jianlai Hu, Liming Lin, Yang Xu
Summary: This meta-analysis compared the use of post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) and antithymocyte globulin (ATG) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT). The results showed that PTCy was associated with lower incidence of aGVHD and NRM compared to ATG, along with better overall survival and progression-free survival, without significant differences in relapse rate and cGVHD incidence. More prospective randomized trials are needed to further validate these findings.
ANNALS OF HEMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Matthew G. Durrant, Alison Fanton, Josh Tycko, Michaela Hinks, Sita S. Chandrasekaran, Nicholas T. Perry, Julia Schaepe, Peter P. Du, Peter Lotfy, Michael C. Bassik, Lacramioara Bintu, Ami S. Bhatt, Patrick D. Hsu
Summary: Large serine recombinases (LSRs) are DNA integrases that facilitate the site-specific integration of mobile genetic elements into bacterial genomes. In this study, a computational approach was developed to identify thousands of LSRs and their DNA attachment sites, expanding known LSR diversity and enabling more efficient DNA integration. This research provides new tools for inserting large sequences into the human genome.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Jonas Schluter, Ana Djukovic, Bradford P. Taylor, Jinyuan Yan, Caichen Duan, Grant A. Hussey, Chen Liao, Sneh Sharma, Emily Fontana, Luigi A. Amoretti, Roberta J. Wright, Anqi Dai, Jonathan U. Peled, Ying Taur, Miguel-Angel Perales, Benjamin A. Siranosian, Ami S. Bhatt, Marcel R. M. van den Brink, Eric G. Pamer, Joao B. Xavier
Summary: TaxUMAP is a visualization tool that allows for the display of microbiome states in large clinical datasets. It was used to create a microbiome atlas of 1,870 cancer patients undergoing therapy-induced perturbations. The tool revealed associations between bacterial density, diversity, and antimicrobial resistance genes. It also identified certain species associated with lower risk for bacteremia, validating a competitive interaction. TaxUMAP provides valuable insights into the effects of the microbiome on human health.
CELL HOST & MICROBE
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Dylan G. Maghini, Mai Dvorak, Alex Dahlen, Morgan Roos, Scott Kuersten, Ami S. Bhatt
Summary: To accurately measure microbes, it is important to evaluate biases related to sample condition, preservative method, and bioinformatic analyses. Absolute abundance measurements provide more information than relative abundance and can correct conclusions drawn from relative abundance data. This study investigated the impact of different preservatives and storage conditions on microbial measurements. OMNIgene GUT OMR-200 had less taxonomic variation in metagenomic data, while Zymo DNA/RNA Shield had less variation in metatranscriptomic data. Absolute abundance measurements revealed different causes of variable Bacteroidetes:Firmicutes ratios across preservatives. The study recommends using OMNIgene GUT OMR-200 for field studies and Zymo DNA/RNA Shield for metatranscriptomics studies, and advocates for the use of absolute quantification in microbial measurements.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yishay Pinto, Meenakshi Chakraborty, Navami Jain, Ami S. Bhatt
Summary: Phanta is a gut microbiome profiling tool that considers the characteristics of viruses and their interactions with other gut microbes, accurately and quickly detecting bacteria and viruses. It overcomes the technical limitations of assembly-based viral profiling methods by using customized k-mer-based classification tools and recently published catalogs of gut viral genomes. When applied to fecal metagenomes from 245 healthy adults, Phanta is able to identify approximately 200 viral species per sample, which is 5 times more than standard assembly-based methods.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laura J. Keller, Taylor H. Nguyen, Lawrence J. Liu, Brianna M. Hurysz, Markus Lakemeyer, Matteo Guerra, Danielle J. Gelsinger, Rachael Chanin, Nhi Ngo, Kenneth M. Lum, Franco Faucher, Phillip Ipock, Micah J. Niphakis, Ami S. Bhatt, Anthony J. O'Donoghue, Kerwyn Casey Huang, Matthew Bogyo
Summary: In this study, serine hydrolases specific to the Bacteroidetes phylum were identified in the gut commensal Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron. Two of them were predicted to be homologs of the human dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (hDPP4). Functional studies showed that BT4193 is a true homolog of hDPP4 and can be inhibited by FDA-approved type 2 diabetes medications targeting hDPP4, while the other one is a misannotated proline-specific triaminopeptidase. The results also indicated that BT4193 is important for envelope integrity and fitness of B. thetaiotaomicron in a diverse bacterial community, independent of its proteolytic activity.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
J. Bolanos-Meade, M. Hamadani, J. Wu, M. M. Al Malki, M. J. Martens, L. Runaas, H. Elmariah, A. R. Rezvani, M. Gooptu, K. T. Larkin, B. C. Shaffer, N. El Jurdi, A. W. Loren, M. Solh, A. C. Hall, A. M. Alousi, O. H. Jamy, M. -A. Perales, J. M. Yao, K. Applegate, A. S. Bhatt, L. S. Kean, Y. A. Efebera, R. Reshef, W. Clark, N. L. DiFronzo, E. Leifer, M. M. Horowitz, R. J. Jones, S. G. Holtan
Summary: This study compared the efficacy of two prophylaxis regimens for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in patients with hematologic cancers. The results showed that patients receiving cyclophosphamide-tacrolimus-mycophenolate mofetil had significantly higher GVHD-free, relapse-free survival at 1 year compared to those receiving tacrolimus-methotrexate.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Wayne Wong, James C. Dickerson, Yannis K. Valtis, Marta Habet, Margaret Bernard, Lorna Kelly, John Lattin, Philip Garrity, Rupali Sood, Alec Ohanian, Maryanne W. Chege, Ami S. Bhatt, Franklin W. Huang, Ramon Yacab
Summary: In 2018, the first public oncology clinic was established in Belize. This article reports demographics from the clinic and describes time intervals to care milestones to allow for public health targeting of gaps and provide a roadmap for public cancer care in the country.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Julia D. Ransohoff, Victor Ritter, Natasha Purington, Karen Andrade, Summer Han, Mina Liu, Su-Ying Liang, Esther M. John, Scarlett L. Gomez, Melinda L. Telli, Lidia Schapira, Haruka Itakura, George W. Sledge, Ami S. Bhatt, Allison W. Kurian
Summary: In this study of 772 women undergoing TNBC therapy, antimicrobial prescription during TNBC treatment was found to be associated with inferior overall and breast cancer-specific survival. This association was related to peripheral lymphocyte count and gut microbiome dysbiosis. The findings suggest that antimicrobial exposure negatively impacts TNBC survival and can inform prescribing decisions in TNBC and other hormone receptor-independent cancers.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Naomi L. Haddock, Layla J. Barkal, Nikhil Ram-Mohan, Gernot Kaber, Charles Y. Chiu, Ami S. Bhatt, Samuel Yang, Paul L. Bollyky
Summary: This study found that bacterial infections release bacteriophage DNA fragments in plasma, which can be used to identify the types and strains of pathogenic bacteria. Additionally, phage sequences can differentiate between pathogenic and contaminant strains of bacterial species such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, phage DNA in plasma is of great importance in studying bacterial infections.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Aravind Natarajan, Brayon J. Fremin, Danica T. Schmidtke, Marlene K. Wolfe, Soumaya Zlitni, Katherine E. Graham, Erin F. Brooks, Christopher J. Severyn, Kathleen M. Sakamoto, Norman J. Lacayo, Scott Kuersten, Jeff Koble, Glorianna Caves, Inna Kaplan, Upinder Singh, Prasanna Jagannathan, Andrew R. Rezvani, Ami S. Bhatt, Alexandria B. Boehm
Summary: Microbial source tracking (MST) uses host-associated fecal markers to identify sources of fecal contamination in the environment. We developed and tested novel viral MST markers based on the genomes of tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). These markers are sensitive and specific to human stool and wastewater, and are more prevalent and abundant compared to the commonly used viral marker PMMoV coat protein (CP) gene. This study suggests that ToBRFV is a promising viral human-associated MST marker.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Brayon J. Fremin, Ami S. Bhatt, Nikos C. Kyrpides
Summary: Structured RNAs play crucial roles in viruses and their interactions with host genes. This study screened over 5 million viral sequences and predicted 10,006 novel candidate structured RNAs, with evidence of transcription in the human fecal microbiome. The findings provide insights into the extensive diversity of structured RNAs in viruses and their implications in viral gene expression.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Wayne Wong, James C. Dickerson, Yannis K. Valtis, Marta Habet, Margaret Bernard, Lorna Kelly, John Lattin, Philip Garrity, Rupali Sood, Alec Ohanian, Maryanne W. Chege, Ami S. Bhatt, Franklin W. Huang, Ramon Yacab
Summary: This study reports the first clinic-based cancer statistics for Belize and highlights the long time intervals between symptom onset and treatment for many patients. Despite serving an underserved population, the clinic has built infrastructure to minimize delays in care, emphasizing the importance of infrastructure investment and early detection programs to improve outcomes in Belize.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Aravind Natarajan, Soumaya Zlitni, Erin F. Brooks, Summer E. Vance, Alex Dahlen, Haley Hedlin, Ryan M. Park, Alvin Han, Danica T. Schmidtke, Renu Verma, Karen B. Jacobson, Julie Parsonnet, Hector F. Bonilla, Upinder Singh, Benjamin A. Pinsky, Jason R. Andrews, Prasanna Jagannathan, Ami S. Bhatt
Summary: This study found that SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA can persist in feces for up to 7 months in individuals with mild to moderate COVID-19. Furthermore, patients with gastrointestinal symptoms are more likely to shed viral RNA in their feces.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Brett M. Babin, Laura J. Keller, Yishay Pinto, Veronica L. Li, Andrew S. Eneim, Summer E. Vance, Stephanie M. Terrell, Ami S. Bhatt, Jonathan Z. Long, Matthew Bogyo
Summary: The increasing incidence of antibiotic-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections is a global health threat. In this study, researchers screened a narrow-spectrum inhibitor that successfully suppressed the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Analyses revealed that the inhibition of SH enzymes was linked to defects in cell envelope biogenesis. It was also found that resistance was primarily developed through the synthesis of mycocerates rather than mutations to SH targets.
CELL CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Christopher J. Severyn, Benjamin A. Siranosian, Sandra Tian-Jiao Kong, Nan Chen, Wendy B. London, Ami S. Bhatt, Jennifer S. Whangbo
PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER
(2022)