Research
ImmunOptimize Network
The ImmunOptimize Network is a planned clinical trials network to protect those individuals who are at the highest risk of infection, led by the Infectious Disease Sciences Program in the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Division at Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
See the ImmunOptimize Network inagural workshop Hutch News story here.
Understanding the role of human herpesvirus 6 infections in transplant recipients
We are carrying out multiple projects studying the epidemiology of HHV-6 infections in transplant recipients. Our group is involved with developing novel diagnostic and treatment approaches. We have a particular interest in further elucidating the clinical implications of inherited chromosomally integrated HHV-6, a unique condition affecting approximately 1% of the human population wherein affected individuals have 1 copy of the HHV-6 genome in every nucleated cell in their body. We are also conducting a prospective, multicenter center study of the clinical significance of HHV-6B detection in transplant patients with pulmonary disease.
See representative paper here.
Evaluating the clinical implications of multiple viral infections on transplant outcomes
We have performed studies of the epidemiology of infections with DNA viruses in transplant recipients, including CMV, HHV-6B, BKV, EBV, and adenovirus. This work demonstrated that infection with >1 virus occurs in the majority of patients. We developed novel approaches to study how the cumulative viral burden of exposure affects outcomes. This work is important in the context of ongoing development of small molecules and adoptive immunotherapies to treat viral infections in immunocompromised hosts.
See representative paper here.
Understanding the risk of infections in recipients of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) immunotherapies
We performed the first systematic study of infectious complications following CD19-targeted CAR-T cell immunotherapy in 133 patients with B-cell malignancies. This demonstrated that cytokine release syndrome was a key risk factor for subsequent infections. We have ongoing projects in which we are studying aspects of immune reconstitution and the risk for infections after treatment with CAR-T cell therapy.
See representative paper here.
Credit: Heil et al, N Engl J Med 2021, PMID: 34936760. PMCID: PMC8757566.
Treatment and prevention strategies for COVID-19
Our group has conducted multiple studies investigating the immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in immunocompromised patients, as well as treatment strategies for patients with COVID-19.
See representative paper here.
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