Rion found that culturing stem cells in a lab to force division leads to rapid DNA damage, as cells are not designed for this artificial environment. This damage created inconsistent exosome products, making large-scale, uniform manufacturing from stem cells unfeasible and prompting a search for a more stable source.

The gut microbiome exists in a stable state with a resilience that makes it difficult to alter permanently. After short-term disruptions like antibiotics or diet changes, it often 'snaps back' to its original composition. This means meaningful, long-term change requires sustained effort to establish a new, stable microbial state rather than temporary interventions.

Transferring a healthy person's stool can shut down severe infections like C. diff almost overnight. This procedure is a powerful alternative to major surgery or failed antibiotic treatments, showcasing the gut microbiome's critical role in immune function.

A healthy gut is crucial for a strong immune response to cancer. In studies on melanoma patients, administering a fecal transplant from a donor who responded well to immunotherapy literally doubled the number of recipients who successfully beat their cancer, showing a direct gut-cancer treatment link.

Butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid from gut bacteria, functions similarly to HDAC inhibitor drugs used in cancer therapy. This provides a scientific mechanism for how diet impacts myeloma, revealing its role in anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory pathways.

Increasing fiber intake may not improve gut health if an individual's microbiome is already depleted. Research suggests many people in the industrialized world have lost the specific microbes needed to break down diverse fibers. Without these microbes, the fiber passes through without providing benefits, highlighting the need to first restore microbial diversity.

For patients with pre-cancerous conditions like MGUS and smoldering myeloma, diet can significantly influence their progression to an active myeloma diagnosis. This positions dietary intervention not just as supportive care but as a key tool for mitigating disease progression.

Studies of traditional populations show their microbiomes are vastly different from those in industrialized nations. This suggests that what is considered a 'healthy' American microbiome might actually be a perturbed state, silently predisposing individuals to chronic inflammatory and metabolic diseases due to factors like antibiotics and diet.

Unlike the complex fibers from whole foods, purified prebiotics can cause a bloom of a small number of bacteria specialized in consuming that single fiber type. This can lead to an overall decrease in microbial diversity as these few specialists outcompete other microbes. A wide variety of plant foods is a safer approach to fostering a diverse gut ecosystem.