Using existing published datasets coupled with unique microbiome analyses implemented in our own laboratory, we have characterized the pancreatic microbiome across disease states (benign and precancerous cysts, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, pancreatic neuroendocrine cancers).

Results from these studies have challenged specific elements of the growing body of literature suggesting a causal relationship between the gut microbiome and the initiation and progression of pancreatic cancer, including the role of fungal elements within pancreatic tissue.

More recently, we have used large-scale sequencing datasets to deconvolute the true pancreatic microbiome from contamination, a crucial obstacle necessary to accurately understand the interplay between the host microbiome and cancer initiation/progression in human patients.

Representative Publications:

Fletcher AA, Kelly MS, Eckhoff AM, Allen PJ. Revisiting the intrinsic mycobiome in pancreatic cancer. Nature. 2023 Aug;620(7972):E1-E6. [Pubmed]

Eckhoff AM, Fletcher AA, Kelly MS, Dohlman A, McIntyre CA, Shen X, Iyer MK, Nussbaum DP, Allen PJ. Comprehensive Assessment of the Intrinsic Pancreatic Microbiome. bioRxiv 2023.08.12.553074 [bioRxiv]