Anastasia Katsiampoura, MD, PhD, received an Eleanor and Miles Shore Faculty Award John Hedley-Whyte Research Grant at Harvard Medical School for her project: Characterization of CD39 expression on T regulatory cells in regulation of inflammation during cardiopulmonary bypass. The $80,000 one-year grant is part of the HMS Eleanor and Miles Shore Faculty Award Program.
Dr. Katsiampoura describes her work below:
“We aim to investigate how CD39 on Tregs influences inflammation during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Coronary artery disease leads to severe inflammatory response syndrome. Reduced CD39 on Tregs contributes to excessive inflammation. Our hypothesis suggests abnormal CD39 on Tregs causes dysregulated effector T cells, heightening inflammation during CPB. The study, using spatial transcriptomics and immune profiling, aims to understand the immune microenvironment in cardiac tissues during CPB and identify therapeutic targets.”