Andrew Koh, M.D.

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Dr. Andrew Y. Koh received his bachelor’s degree in Biology from Harvard College. He was then awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and received a B.A. in English Literature at Pembroke College, Oxford University. Dr. Koh obtained his MD degree from Harvard Medical School. He completed internship, residency, and chief residency at Children’s Hospital, Boston. He then completed a dual fellowship in hematology/oncology and infectious diseases at Children’s Hospital, Boston, and Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Koh left Harvard to become Director of Pediatric Hematopoeitic Stem Cell Transplantation at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 2009.  He is currently Director of the Pediatric Cellular and ImmunoTherapeutics Program and Associate Division Chief for Basic Science Innovation, Pedatric Hematology/Oncology Division.  

The Koh Lab focuses on understanding how the gut microbiome influences host immune responses in cancer and stem cell transplant patients.  Specific projects include bacterial/fungal infections originating from the gut, autoimmune complications (e.g. graft-versus host disease), the evolution of antibiotic resistance in the mammalian gut, and host  immune anti-tumor response.  Recent work has focused on developing novel gut microbiome-derived therapeutics for enhancing cancer immunotherapy efficacy -- efforts that have resulted in the filing of two patents, receipt of NIH and industry funding, and co-founding of a startup company, Aumenta Biosciences. 

Medical School

Harvard Medical School (1996)

Residency

Children's Hospital of Boston - Pediatric Program (1999), Pediatric Medicine

Residency

Children's Hospital of Boston - Pediatric Program (2000), Pediatric Medicine

Fellowship

Children's Hospital Boston - Hematology/Oncology (2004), Pediatric Hematology/oncology

Fellowship

Children's Hospital Boston - Infectious Disease (2004), Pediatric Infectious Diseases

• Antibiotic Resistance
• Cancer immunotherapy
• Candida albicans pathogenesis
• Gut microbiome
• Gut Microbiota (bacterial-fungal interactions)
• Host immune anti-tumor response
• Host pathogen interactions
• Intestinal graft-versus-host-disease

Featured Publications

Immune checkpoint blockade induces gut microbiota translocation that augments extraintestinal antitumor immunity.

Choi Y, Lichterman JN, Coughlin LA, Poulides N, Li W, Del Valle P, Palmer SN, Gan S, Kim J, Zhan X, Gao Y, Evers BM, Hooper LV, Pasare C, Koh AY, Sci Immunol 2023 Mar 8 81 eabo2003

Metagenomic Shotgun Sequencing and Unbiased Metabolomic Profiling Identify Specific Human Gut Microbiota and Metabolites Associated with Immune Checkpoint Therapy Efficacy in Melanoma Patients.

Frankel AE, Coughlin LA, Kim J, Froehlich TW, Xie Y, Frenkel EP, Koh AY Neoplasia 2017 Oct 19 10 848-855

Antibiotic-Induced Depletion of Anti-Inflammatory Clostridia is Associated with the Development of GVHD in Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Patients.

Simms-Waldrip TR, Sunkersett G, Coughlin LA, Savani MR, Arana C, Kim J, Kim M, Zhan X, Greenberg DE, Xie Y, Davies SM, Koh AY Biol. Blood Marrow Transplant. 2017 Feb

Candida albicans Inhibits Pseudomonas aeruginosa Virulence through Suppression of Pyochelin and Pyoverdine Biosynthesis.

Lopez-Medina E, Fan D, Coughlin LA, Ho EX, Lamont IL, Reimmann C, Hooper LV, Koh AY PLoS Pathog. 2015 Aug 11 8 e1005129

Activation of HIF-1a and LL-37 by commensal bacteria inhibits Candida albicans colonization.

Fan D, Coughlin LA, Neubauer MM, Kim J, Kim MS, Zhan X, Simms-Waldrip TR, Xie Y, Hooper LV, Koh AY Nat. Med. 2015 Jun

Mucosal damage and neutropenia are required for Candida albicans dissemination.

Koh AY, Köhler JR, Coggshall KT, Van Rooijen N, Pier GB PLoS Pathog. 2008 Feb 4 2 e35

Food for Gut: Microbiota Fuels Immune Reconstitution after BMT.

Simms-Waldrip TR, Koh AY Cell Host Microbe 2018 Apr 23 4 423-424

Potential for Monitoring Gut Microbiota for Diagnosing Infections and Graft-versus-Host Disease in Cancer and Stem Cell Transplant Patients.

Koh AY Clin. Chem. 2017 Jul

The microbiome in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients and cancer patients: Opportunities for clinical advances that reduce infection.

Koh AY PLoS Pathog. 2017 Jun 13 6 e1006342

FMAP: Functional Mapping and Analysis Pipeline for metagenomics and metatranscriptomics studies.

Kim J, Kim MS, Koh AY, Xie Y, Zhan X BMC Bioinformatics 2016 Oct 17 1 420

 Featured Books

Fever and Granulocytopenia; Infections in Children with Cancer. In Long SS, Pickering LK, Prober CG, eds. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 6th ed.

Ardura M, Koh AY (2022). Elsevier Saunders

Infectious Complications in Pediatric Cancer Patients. In Susan M. Blaney MD, Lee J. Helman MD, Peter C. Adamson MD, eds. Pizzo & Poplack's Pediatric Oncology. 8th ed.

Ardura MI, Koh AY. (2020). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer;

• Basil O'Connor Research Award (March of Dimes)
  (2013-2015)
• Eleanor and Miles Shore Scholar
  (2006-2008)
• Glaser Pediatric Research Network Fellowship Award
  (2000-2002)
• Rhodes Scholarship
  (1988-1990)

• American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (2009)
• American Society for Microbiology (2003)
• American Society for Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (2012)
• American Society of Hematology (2010)
• Society for Pediatric Research (2010)