idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Patients receiving intensive cancer treatments - such as radiation or stem cell transplantation - often suffer from severe damage to the intestinal lining. This not only causes pain and complications but also worsens long-term outcomes. A “Nature Communications” study from the LIT Cooperation Group “Innate Immune Sensing in Cancer and Transplantation” reveals how a microbial metabolite safeguards the intestinal barrier and drives stem cell-mediated regeneration after injury. The results also show that the microbial product simultaneously reinforces the immune defense against leukemia.
A microbial product from our diet protects the gut during cancer therapy - and this effect represents an important advance in the treatment of severe side effects of cancer and transplant therapies. “Desaminotyrosine stimulates stem-cell repair and fine-tunes immunity using nutrient- and danger-sensing pathways,” describes PhD student Sascha Göttert at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine III at University Hospital Regensburg (UKR) and first author of the study. Together with Prof. Hendrik Poeck, Head of the LIT Cooperation Group “Innate Immune Sensing in Cancer and Transplantation” and Dr. Erik Thiele Orberg, Senior Physician at UKR, he led the research team.
The study by the LIT Cooperation Group in collaboration with researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) opens exciting prospects for developing microbiome-based therapies to enhance recovery and outcomes after stem cell transplantation. The team was supported by the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1371 initiative to understand the functional relevance of microbiome signatures and to determine their precise contribution in a disease-specific manner, as well as by the CRC Transregio 221, which focuses on unsolved challenges in the treatment of patients with leukemia or lymphoma.
A gut-microbe metabolite that shields against transplant complications
Desaminotyrosine (DAT) is a small molecule produced when gut bacteria break down dietary flavonoids found in fruits and vegetables. “The effect of DAT was observed even under broad-spectrum antibiotics, which, while often unavoidable, are linked to worse outcomes and remain a major limitation of allogenic stem-cell transplants,” explains Dr. Erik Thiele Orberg, shared first author of the study.
In patients who underwent stem cell transplantation, higher DAT levels were associated with better survival and fewer relapses. In preclinical mouse models, synthetic DAT even prevented the dangerous complication known as graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) by strengthening the intestinal barrier and boosting tissue repair. This effect was observed even though the animals had lost much of their healthy gut flora due to antibiotics.
Small “mini intestines”: modern organoid cultures used to analyze the effects
The researchers examined tissue samples from patients who had undergone stem cell transplantation, as well as various mouse models for radiation- and therapy-induced intestinal damage. In addition, modern organoid cultures - small “mini-intestines” made from human stem cells in the laboratory were used to specifically analyze the effects of the bacterial metabolite on the intestinal lining.
Activating intestinal stem cells and anti-cancer effects: progress for treatment options
DAT worked by activating intestinal stem cells and supporting them during stress, while also contributing to immune responses to retain anti-cancer effects. Therefore, this important study emphasizes the significance of intestinal stem cells, underscoring their central role as “master repairers.” As Prof. Hendrik Poeck, Head of the LIT Cooperation Group “Innate Immune Sensing in Cancer and Transplantation,” says, “these findings open exciting avenues for new microbiome-based treatments that could reduce side effects, improve quality of life, and enhance the effectiveness of life-saving therapies.”
About the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT)
The LIT is an institute within the Leibniz Association located in Regensburg, Germany. Our mission is to develop innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer, autoimmunity, and chronic inflammation. By reprogramming immune cells through synthetic and pharmacological strategies, we build cells that save lives.
Prof. Dr. med. Hendrik Poeck
Head of LIT Cooperation Group Innate Immune Sensing in Cancer & Transplantation
LIT – Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy
c/o University Hospital Regensburg
Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11
93053 Regensburg, Germany
phone: +49 941 944-5542
email: hendrik.poeck@klinik.uni-regensburg.de
Managing Senior Physician
Leukemias, Stem cell transplantation & Cellular therapies
Klinik und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin III (Hämatologie und Onkologie)
Universitätsklinikum Regensburg
Göttert, S., Thiele Orberg, E., Fan, K. et al. The microbial metabolite desaminotyrosine protects against graft-versus-host disease via mTORC1 and STING-dependent intestinal regeneration. Nat Commun 16, 9282 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65180-6
Modern organoid cultures - small “mini-intestines” - are made from human stem cells in the laborator ...
Source: Sascha Göttert
Copyright: © LIT
From left to right: Dr. Erik Thiele Orberg, Sascha Göttert and Prof. Hendrik Poeck
Source: Clara Stark
Copyright: © LIT
Criteria of this press release:
Journalists, Scientists and scholars, Students
Biology, Medicine, Nutrition / healthcare / nursing
transregional, national
Research results, Scientific Publications
English
Modern organoid cultures - small “mini-intestines” - are made from human stem cells in the laborator ...
Source: Sascha Göttert
Copyright: © LIT
From left to right: Dr. Erik Thiele Orberg, Sascha Göttert and Prof. Hendrik Poeck
Source: Clara Stark
Copyright: © LIT
You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.
You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).
Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.
You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).
If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).
