Unlocking the Power of Microbiome Diversity: A Conversation With City of Hope’s Jenny Paredes, Ph.D.

For City of Hope® staff scientist Jenny Paredes, PhD , growing up Latina meant being surrounded by a loving family, full of energy and laughter and building lifelong friendships. These values of family and community fuel her dedication to improving the lives of stem cell transplant patients through her work as a researcher in the Marcel van den Brink lab at City of Hope. Dr. Paredes is driven by the hope that her research will contribute to faster recoveries for patients, granting them more time with their loved ones and the opportunity to create meaningful memories. Her focus is on understanding the benefits of consuming foods rich in fiber, which are found in the many diverse cuisines patients enjoy. 

Dr. Paredes will present her novel, award-winning microbiome research at the 66th Annual Meeting and Exposition presented by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in San Diego, California, on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. PST, Session 701, Abstract 259. 

We are excited to discuss City of Hope’s breakthrough microbiome program, Dr. Paredes’ passion behind the practice and what her findings mean for transplant patients and the future of cancer care. 

Congratulations on being selected as an ASH Outstanding Abstract Achievement Award recipient for your study, Increased Fiber Intake Results in Better Overall Survival and Lower GI-aGVHD in Allo-HCT Recipients and Pre-Clinical GVHD Models. Can you share details of the study you’re presenting at ASH and what impact do these results could have for stem cell transplant patients? 

The study adds to the growing evidence supporting the benefits of a high-fiber diet for microbiome health and suggests that common post-stem cell transplant dietary restrictions, which often lower fiber intake, could be counterproductive for certain patients. Evidence suggests that adding dietary fiber during transplantation could foster a healthy gut microbiome, aid recovery from treatment-related microbiota damage and help prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).   

Our research showed that low-fiber diets were linked to decreased gut microbiome diversity, potentially raising the risk of infections by intestinal pathogens. In contrast, high-fiber diets were associated with improved overall survival, a reduced risk of acute GVHD in the lower GI tract and greater gut microbial diversity.   

It’s important to note that the benefits of a high-fiber diet may not apply to all transplant patients. 

The results of this study have stimulated implementing new nutrition protocols at City of Hope, emphasizing that hospitals can support stem cell transplant patients by providing diverse food options, which may also lead to more inclusive menus featuring a variety of cuisines. 

What inspired you to research microbiome and fiber intake as it relates to hematology patients? 

I have yearned to be a microbiologist since I was 13 years old. As a child, I loved nature and biology. In middle school, I joined a specialized program for science; they took us on a field trip to a college where there were microscopes, and we looked at slides with bacteria. I fell in love! Those tiny creatures under the microscope were amazing. I grew up and earned a bachelor's degree in microbiology.    

In my professional path, I decided to study fiber because although it has been known that fiber is beneficial for human health, for cancer patients (specially for stem cell transplant patients) we must be cautious about the nutritional interventions because their microbiome may not be able to digest it or tolerate it. Yet, having diversity in the microbiome is very beneficial and may help ward off infection, so I felt there was a knowledge gap for hematology patients around microbiome diversity. Thus, I wanted to study how transplant patients could have a healthy, rich in fiber diet.  

What’s next in terms of future research on this topic? Is the plan to ultimately track all City of Hope transplant patients’ diets? And City of Hope CAR T patients? 

Not all transplant patients benefit from a high-fiber diet due to fiber fermentation, which can lead to gas, bloating and risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBD), so further research will explore how to increase fiber without triggering those reactions. Moreover, we are actively working with City of Hope’s bone marrow transplant program, which is the largest in the country, and its CAR T teams to capture diet data as well as biospecimens for the study of microbiome.   

Why is City of Hope’s microbiome program novel?  

It is novel to have a team of experts at City of Hope leading a collaborative effort to implement microbiome research at the institutional level. We believe that every research project can benefit from the exploration of the microbiome and want to support City of Hope investigators with no previous experience to address microbiome in their research strategies and to elevate the questions of investigators who are currently working on microbiome. In addition, we are confident that the datasets that will be generated from these studies will guide City of Hope’s future research. 

You’re new at City of Hope; what enticed you to join the team, and what surprised you the most since joining?  

I joined City of Hope after my mentor of three years, Dr. Marcel van den Brink, invited me to come here. I accepted the offer right away! I knew of City of Hope because of the amazing work on hematology and cancer disparities. What surprises me the most is how kind and receptive colleagues from City of Hope and TGen are to collaboration. I am incredibly happy to be here.   

What are you most looking forward to at the 66th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology? 

So much! I am looking forward to being updated on the latest studies, meeting emerging leaders in hematology and learning from senior investigators on career advancement.  

How can ASH attendees engage with you? 

You can find me occasionally hanging out at City of Hope’s Booth No. 313 in the exhibition hall. I’ll be presenting my research on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. PST, Session 701, Abstract 259 and would enjoy seeing you in the crowd!  

On Monday, Dec. 9, you can engage with me at City of Hope’s networking reception, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the InterContinental San Diego, Bayview Ballroom and Terrace. I’m active on social media; we can connect on LinkedIn!