How can we maintain a high-diversity microbiome after allo-transplant?

The GvHD Hub are proud to present expert interviews directly from the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting in Orlando, US. This interview with Jonathan Peled, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, US, was based on the question: How can we maintain a high-diversity microbial status after allogeneic transplant?

Jonathan Peled discusses the health of the microbiome and how that can impact patients who undergo bone marrow transplants and are at risk of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). He explains that there is an established correlation between the health of the intestinal microbiome and GvHD outcome. He suggests strategies that could improve the microbiome e.g. judicious use of antibiotics. Jonathan Peled discusses his randomized study that explores the strategic use of antibiotics that specifically target anaerobic bacteria versus sparing anaerobic bacteria, as previous studies show anaerobes are good for gut health for GvHD prevention.