In a field that is highly specialized, Nicole Theodoropoulos, MD, Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology has been studying donor derived infections since her fellowship, over 12 years ago. Now, she is the Director of Transplant Infectious Diseases at UMass and focuses on organ donor infectious diseases screening.
During her fellowship at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, her mentor, Michael Ison, Professor in Medicine and Professor in Surgery and a founder of UNOS/OPTN Disease Transmission Advisory Committee (DTAC), (the committee that evaluates all reports of disease in organ transplant recipients transmitted from their organ donors), was so passionate about donor-derived infections that she found herself compelled to learn more.
Dr. Theodoropoulos became a member of DTAC and remained there for three years. As a member, she utilized the DTAC to assist her in facilitating her first grant proposal, “how organ procurement organizations were screening deceased organ donors for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections” and their test results.
During this past year, Jan Cerny, MD in Hematology/Oncology referred a clinical trial to her, RUXCOVID-DEVENT. This trial was to work with a team from the cancer research office looking at the immunosuppressant, Ruxolitinib and its effect on patients with COVID induced acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation.
This would be her first PI role and she found herself as the top enrolling site PI for the trial. Dr. Theodoropoulos attributes the success, “to the amazing researchers in the CRO including Cara Gregoire, Jackie Wheeler, Alex Agrillo, Meredith Mistark and others. With their help and knowledge, we enrolled complex patients at a remarkable pace.” The results of this trial are currently being written.
Knowing her involvement in the patient transplant program and in her role as Director of Transplant Infectious Diseases, Drs. Stuart Levitz and Jennifer Daly recently invited Dr. Theodoropoulos to participate in a collaboration with colleagues at UMass and Broad on a recent publication titled, “SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in a liver transplant recipient”.
The publication provided evidence of viral genomic sequencing from a liver transplant recipient with two documented episodes of COVID-19.
Dr. Theodoropoulos admits, she knew the basics about sequencing but from the clinical research, she was able to learn about sequencing techniques and how to prove that a new viral variant was present not just mutations in the previous viral variant.
When asked about what she learned from her research she shared, “I think the major thing I’ve learned from performing clinical research is how to collaborate with others. It really is a learned skill and I think every trainee should perform some type of research for this experience alone.”
Currently, Dr. Theodoropoulos is Chair of the American Society of Transplantation Infectious Diseases Community of Practice Executive Committee, Associate Editor for Clinical Transplantation and Transplant Infectious Disease (journals) and is on the COVID task force updating transplant-related COVID guidance for the American Society of Transplantation.