Biography

Download Curriculum Vitae

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. 

Education

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

Research Interest

  • 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

Publications

Featured Publications LegendFeatured Publications

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

Books

Featured Books Legend Featured Books

Honors & Awards

  • 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)

Professional Associations/Affiliations

  • 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)