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Rodriguez, E. D.

Publications and source records attributed to Rodriguez, E. D..

2 recordsLinked to original sources
bioRxiv2022

Evolution of a Plastic Surgery Summer Research Program

BackgroundEarly surgical exposure and research fellowships have been independently shown to influence medical students specialty choice, increase academic productivity, and impact residency match. However, to our knowledge there is no published guidance on the implementation of formal plastic surgery summer research programs for first year medical students. We present our institutional experience developing a plastic surgery summer research program over seven years (2013-2020) in an effort to inform program development at other institutions. We hypothesized that this early, formal exposure could spark interest in pursuing research activities throughout medical school and residency. MethodsFrom 2013 to 2016, a sole basic science research arm existed. In 2017, a clinical research arm was introduced, with several supplemental activities including structured surgical skills sessions. A formalized selection process was instituted in 2014. Participant feedback was analyzed on a yearly basis. Long-term outcomes included continued research commitment, productivity, and residency match. ResultsThe applicant pool has reached 96 applicants in 2019, with 85% from outside institutions. Acceptance rate reached 7% in 2020. With adherence to a scoring rubric for applicant evaluation, good to excellent interrater reliability was achieved (ICC = 0.75). Long-term outcomes showed that on average per year, 28% of participants continued departmental research activities and 29% returned for dedicated research. Upon finishing medical school, participants had a mean of 6.9{+/-}4.0 peer-reviewed publications. 62% of participants matched into a surgical residency program, with 54% in integrated plastic surgery. ConclusionsA research program designed for first year medical students interested in plastic surgery can achieve academic goals. Students are provided with mentorship, networking opportunities, and tools for self-guided learning and career development.

scientific communication and education↗
bioRxiv2022

Inhibition of the IL-17A axis Protects against Immune-related Adverse Events while Supporting Checkpoint Inhibitor Anti-tumor Efficacy

Checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) immunotherapy leverages the bodys own immune system to attack cancer cells but leads to unwanted autoimmune side effects in up to 60% of patients. Such immune related adverse events (IrAE) may lead to treatment interruption, permanent organ dysfunction, hospitalization and premature death. Thyroiditis is one of the most common IrAE, but the cause of thyroid IrAE remains unknown. Here we present a novel mouse model in which checkpoint inhibitor therapy leads to multi-organ autoimmune infiltrates and show that activation and infiltration of Type 3 immune cells including IL17A+ ROR{gamma}t+ CD4+ (T helper 17 or Th17) and gamma delta 17 ({gamma}{delta}T17) T cells promote thyroid IrAE development. IL-17A+ T cells were similarly found in thyroid specimens from cancer patients treated with ICI who developed thyroid IrAE. Furthermore, antibody-based inhibition of IL-17A, a clinically available therapy, significantly reduced thyroid IrAE development in ICI-treated mice. Finally, combination of IL-17A neutralization with ICI treatment in multiple tumor models did not reduce ICI anti-tumor efficacy. These studies suggest that targeting Th17 and {gamma}{delta}17 function may reduce IrAE without impairing ICI anti-tumor efficacy and may be a generalizable strategy to address IL17-mediated IrAE.

immunology↗