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Research Background

Dr. Angelidou obtained her MD and Ph.D. in Immunopharmacology from the University of Athens in Greece. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of Texas Southwestern and is completing her clinical fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Angelidou completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Tufts University where she studied and extensively published on the role of mast cell activation in autism spectrum disorders under the mentorship of Dr. Theoharides. She joined the Levy Lab in July 2015 with an interest in neonatal innate immunity and vaccinology. Her main project focuses on characterization of vaccine-induced primary and trained innate immune activation in newborns. Trained immunity alludes to previously activated innate immunity exhibiting altered responses to subsequent stimuli. This mechanism could mediate heterologous effects of live attenuated vaccines, such as Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), whereby a vaccine against one pathogen may also protect against others. This work can provide fundamental insights into the mechanisms by which common licensed neonatal vaccines protect in early life and can inform future early life vaccine development. 

Education

Medical School

University of Athens Medical School
2008 Athens Greece

Internship

Pediatics Children's Medical Center at Dallas
2012 Dallas TX

Graduate School

PhD, Immunopharmacology University of Athens Medical School
2013 Athens Greece

Residency

Pediatrics Children's Medical Center at Dallas
2014 Dallas TX

Fellowship

Harvard Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Training Program
2016 Boston MA

Publications

  1. Biomarkers of vaccine safety and efficacy in vulnerable populations: Lessons from the fourth international precision vaccines conference. Vaccine. 2025 Jan 01; 43(Pt 2):126477. View Abstract
  2. Predictive gene expression signature diagnoses neonatal sepsis before clinical presentation. EBioMedicine. 2024 Dec; 110:105411. View Abstract
  3. Safety and implementation of a phase 1 randomized GLA-SE-adjuvanted CH505TF gp120 HIV vaccine trial in newborns. medRxiv. 2024 Oct 17. View Abstract
  4. DNA Methylation signatures underpinning blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio during first week of human life. Nat Commun. 2024 Sep 17; 15(1):8167. View Abstract
  5. Breastfeeding and Neonatal Age Influence Neutrophil-Driven Ontogeny of Blood Cell Populations in the First Week of Human Life. J Immunol Res. 2024; 2024:1117796. View Abstract
  6. Need for strategic communications and stakeholder engagement to advance acceptability of an overdose preventing vaccine targeting fentanyl. Vaccine. 2024 Oct 24; 42(24):126082. View Abstract
  7. Proteomics-Based Mapping of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia-Associated Changes in Noninvasively Accessible Oral Secretions. J Pediatr. 2024 Jul; 270:113774. View Abstract
  8. Precision Vaccine Adjuvants for Older Adults: A Scoping Review. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 08 15; 75(Suppl 1):S72-S80. View Abstract
  9. Precision Vaccines: Lessons Learned From the Coronavirus Pandemic. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 08 15; 75(Suppl 1):S1. View Abstract
  10. Implications of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Pandemic on the Epidemiology of Pediatric Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 08 15; 75(Suppl 1):S130-S135. View Abstract
  11. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection Versus Vaccination in Pregnancy: Implications for Maternal and Infant Immunity. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 08 15; 75(Suppl 1):S37-S45. View Abstract
  12. The Effects of COVID-19 Hospital Practices on Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration Postdischarge. Breastfeed Med. 2022 09; 17(9):736-744. View Abstract
  13. Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine reprograms human neonatal lipid metabolism in vivo and in vitro. Cell Rep. 2022 05 03; 39(5):110772. View Abstract
  14. A quality improvement initiative to reduce acid-suppressing medication exposure in the NICU. J Perinatol. 2022 08; 42(8):1118-1125. View Abstract
  15. BCG vaccine's off-target effects on allergic, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases: Worth another shot? J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2022 01; 149(1):51-54. View Abstract
  16. Human Newborn Monocytes Demonstrate Distinct BCG-Induced Primary and Trained Innate Cytokine Production and Metabolic Activation In Vitro. Front Immunol. 2021; 12:674334. View Abstract
  17. Leveraging the Massachusetts perinatal quality collaborative to address the COVID-19 pandemic among diverse populations. J Perinatol. 2021 11; 41(11):2674-2683. View Abstract
  18. Association of Maternal Perinatal SARS-CoV-2 Infection With Neonatal Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Massachusetts. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 04 01; 4(4):e217523. View Abstract
  19. Vaccination of Term and Preterm Infants. Neoreviews. 2020 12; 21(12):e817-e827. View Abstract
  20. Integrative Metabolomics to Identify Molecular Signatures of Responses to Vaccines and Infections. Metabolites. 2020 Nov 30; 10(12). View Abstract
  21. Preparing for Life: Plasma Proteome Changes and Immune System Development During the First Week of Human Life. Front Immunol. 2020; 11:578505. View Abstract
  22. BCG as a Case Study for Precision Vaccine Development: Lessons From Vaccine Heterogeneity, Trained Immunity, and Immune Ontogeny. Front Microbiol. 2020; 11:332. View Abstract
  23. Licensed Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) formulations differ markedly in bacterial viability, RNA content and innate immune activation. Vaccine. 2020 02 24; 38(9):2229-2240. View Abstract
  24. Immunometabolic approaches to prevent, detect, and treat neonatal sepsis. Pediatr Res. 2020 01; 87(2):399-405. View Abstract
  25. Dynamic molecular changes during the first week of human life follow a robust developmental trajectory. Nat Commun. 2019 03 12; 10(1):1092. View Abstract
  26. Is There More to Zika? Complex Cardiac Disease in a Case of Congenital Zika Syndrome. Neonatology. 2018; 113(2):177-182. View Abstract
  27. Implementation of a Guideline to Decrease Use of Acid-Suppressing Medications in the NICU. Pediatrics. 2017 Dec; 140(6). View Abstract
  28. Neurotensin and CRH interactions augment human mast cell activation. PLoS One. 2012; 7(11):e48934. View Abstract
  29. Perinatal stress, brain inflammation and risk of autism-review and proposal. BMC Pediatr. 2012 Jul 02; 12:89. View Abstract
  30. Mitochondria distinguish granule-stored from de novo synthesized tumor necrosis factor secretion in human mast cells. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2012; 159(1):23-32. View Abstract
  31. Contribution of stress to asthma worsening through mast cell activation. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2012 Jul; 109(1):14-9. View Abstract
  32. IL-9 induces VEGF secretion from human mast cells and IL-9/IL-9 receptor genes are overexpressed in atopic dermatitis. PLoS One. 2012; 7(3):e33271. View Abstract
  33. Mast cells in allergic and inflammatory diseases. Curr Pharm Des. 2012; 18(16):2261-77. View Abstract
  34. Substance P (SP) induces expression of functional corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor-1 (CRHR-1) in human mast cells. J Invest Dermatol. 2012 Feb; 132(2):324-9. View Abstract
  35. Brief report: "allergic symptoms" in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. More than meets the eye? J Autism Dev Disord. 2011 Nov; 41(11):1579-85. View Abstract
  36. Human mast cell degranulation and preformed TNF secretion require mitochondrial translocation to exocytosis sites: relevance to atopic dermatitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011 Jun; 127(6):1522-31.e8. View Abstract
  37. Mast cell activation and autism. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012 Jan; 1822(1):34-41. View Abstract
  38. Mast cells and inflammation. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012 Jan; 1822(1):21-33. View Abstract
  39. Mitochondrial DNA and anti-mitochondrial antibodies in serum of autistic children. J Neuroinflammation. 2010 Nov 17; 7:80. View Abstract
  40. Increased affected skin gene expression and serum levels of thymic stromal lymphopoietin in atopic dermatitis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2010 Nov; 105(5):403-4. View Abstract
  41. Luteolin and thiosalicylate inhibit HgCl(2) and thimerosal-induced VEGF release from human mast cells. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2010 Oct-Dec; 23(4):1015-20. View Abstract
  42. Neurotensin is increased in serum of young children with autistic disorder. J Neuroinflammation. 2010 Aug 23; 7:48. View Abstract
  43. IL-33 augments substance P-induced VEGF secretion from human mast cells and is increased in psoriatic skin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Mar 02; 107(9):4448-53. View Abstract

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