Project description
My research focus is on microbiome and outcomes after hematopoietic transplantation. Our group previously published that gut microbiome is associated with mortality and graft vs host disease after hematopoietic transplantation. I am investigating this link by further exploring microbiota metabolites and their effects on the incidence of graft vs host disease, as well as microbiota composition and immune recovery. Our work was submitted to Blood (Miltiadous O et al. Early intestinal microbial features are associated with CD4 T cell recovery after allogeneic hematopoietic transplant).
I am also exploring the links of microbiota with outcomes of pediatric cancer patients. I am evaluating how microbiome composition affects remission rates in pediatric patients with neuroblastoma undergoing therapy and how is this affecting long term outcomes.
The main questions I seek to address are:
- How is the microbiome associated with outcomes after hematopoietic transplantation ?
- How is the microbiome affecting clinical outcomes in pediatric patients with cancer ?
To investigate this, I am using computational tools to analyze of 16s rRNA sequencing, shotgun and metabolomics and correlate with clinical outcomes. This work is aimed to identify targets for new therapeutic interventions targeted at optimizing intestinal microbiota composition, improving treatment responses while minimizing treatment toxicities in patients with cancer and recipients of hematopoietic transplantation.
Grants
- Michael Goldberg fellow (2021)
- American Society of Clinical Oncology – Young Investigator Award (2020)
- Collaborative Pediatric Research Program Award – Batcole foundation (2020)
- Hyundai Hope on Wheels – Young Investigator Award (2020)
- End kids Cancer (2019)
Awards
- Michael Goldberg fellow (2021)
- American Society of Clinical Oncology – Young Investigator Award (2020)
- Hyundai Hope on Wheels – Young Investigator Award (2020)
Invited Speaker
- American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (TCT): Intestinal microbiota features are associated with CD4+ T cell recovery after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (2021)
- International Pediatric Oncology Society: Prognostic significance of ATRX genetic aberrations in Neuroblastoma (2019)
Memberships
- Member, American Association of Cancer Research (AACR)
- Member, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- Member, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
- Member, Children’s Oncology Group (COG)
- Member of Fellowship Council Committee
Education
- MD, University of Athens Medical School (2011)
- Resident in pediatrics, Miami Children’s Hospital (2017)
- Fellow in pediatric hematology/oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center – New York Presbyterial/Weill Cornell Medical Center (2020)
