 |
Genovefa Papanicolaou, MD Assistant Member
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center |
|
|
Phone
212-639-8361
Education
MD, National University of Athens School of Medicine
Residencies
Tufts University, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Newton, MA
Fellowship
Brown University School of Medicine; Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Board Certification
Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases
Hospital Appointments
Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases
Research Interests
My clinical and laboratory research focuses on infectious complications of bone marrow transplantation.
Clinical
- Prospective surveillance of infectious complications
We have developed a comprehensive database for infectious complications after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
The infectious disease database is part of the institutionally supported Clinical Research Database (CRDB) at MSKCC. The database provides a tool for a) quality assurance b) outcomes research and c) testing targeted interventions. The overall objective is to improve the outcome of infections after stem cell transplantation.
- Clinical trials for management of cytomegalovirus (CMV) after stem cell transplantation
Current trials include: a) novel antivirals b) DNA-vaccine c) adoptive immunotherapy using donor derived CMV specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes.
Laboratory
- Development of the artificial antigen presenting cell (AAPC) system for generation of antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells
The adoptive transfer antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) expanded from the blood of CMV-seropositive donors has been shown to effectively control CMV infection. However, the requirement for safe and effective antigen-presenting cells (APCs) for each patient precludes broad applicability of this successful form of therapy.
We have shown that artificial APCs (AAPCs) efficiently expand CMV-specific CTLs from peripheral blood of seropositive HLA A2.1+ donors. We are further developing the AAPC system for the generation of antigen specific cytotoxic T cells directed against the most common HLA alleles of our patient population.
- Genetic susceptibility to infection
Patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation are highly dependent upon the innate immune system for survival, and, because their immune systems have been compromised in a predictable fashion, the role of specific innate immune genes in defense against pathogenic microbes is particularly accessible for analysis.
Through an approved Memorial Sloan-Kettering protocol we have generated a DNA bank from stem cell transplant patients. We are studying the correlation of genetic polymorphisms in innate immune genes with susceptibility to specific infections. The long-term objective is to perform analyses of innate immune gene polymorphisms in individual patients to predict susceptibility to infectious diseases.
Recent Publications
Kesh S, Mensah N, Peterlongo P, Jaffe D, Hsu K, Van den Brink M, O'Reilly R Pamer E, Satagopan J , Papanicolaou GA. TLR1 and TLR6 polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to invasive aspergillosis after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Ann NY Acad Sci 1062 (1-9) 2005. [PubMed Abstract]
Almyroudis NG, Fuller A, Jacubowski A, Sepkowitz K, Jaffe D, Small TN, Kiehn TE, Pamer E, Papanicolaou, GA. Pre-and Post-engraftment bloodstream infection rates and associated mortality in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Transpl. Infect. Dis 2005:7:11-17.
Jaffe D, Jakubowski A, Sepkowitz K, Sebti R, Kiehn TE, Pamer E, Papanicolaou GA. Prevention of Peri-Transplant Viridans Streptococcal Bacteremia with Early Vancomycin Administration: A Single Center Observational Cohort Study. Clin Infect Dis. 2004 Dec;39:1625-1632. [PubMed Abstract]
Papanicolaou GA, Latouche JB, Tan C, Stiles J, Dupont J, Pamer E, Sadalain M. Rapid expansion of cytomegalovirus-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes by universal antigen presenting cells. Blood. 2003 Oct 1:102(7):2498-505. [PubMed Abstract]
Marr KA, Hachem R, Papanicolaou GA, Somani J, Arduino JM, Lipka CJ, Ngai AL, Kartsonis N, Chodakewitz J, and Sable C. Retrospective Study of the Hepatic Safety Profile of Patients Concomitantly Treated with Caspofungin and Cyclosporin A, Transplant. Infect. Dis. 2004;6:110-6.
