Recent publications and grants from PMI residents and predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees:
Genomic characterization of a severe West Nile Virus transmission season using a single reaction amplicon sequencing approach.
Freed S Jr, Chandler S, Uhm S, Pella Z, Gurung D, Smith H, Dowdy T, Bartling AM, Butz A, Wiley MR, Broadhurst MJ, Stein S, McCutchen EL, Hamik J, Iwen PC, Downey N, Herzog KS, Fauver JR. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2026 Jan 21;20(1):e0013931. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0013931. eCollection 2026 Jan. PMID: 41564144
Dr. Shawn Freed, a first year CPEP microbiology fellow, performed a study to validate the IDT xGen West Nile Virus panel, a novel single reaction amplicon-based Next-Generation Sequencing approach, and compared these data to standard sequencing assays. These studies found that the new assay was highly robust, and, in addition, it was determined that the WNV genomes from 2023 revealed substantial diversity in Nebraska.
Malignant craniopharyngiomas: Institutional experience and literature review.
Auen TJ, Zhang IW, Zhang W, Burr JM, Carda ML, Wisecarver JL, Shonka N, Cox JL, Cathcart SJ, Cushman-Vokoun A, Chen J. Brain Pathol. 2026 Jan 5:e70068. doi: 10.1111/bpa.70068. Online ahead of print. PMID: 41491589
Chief resident Dr. Thomas Auen and other departmental colleagues published a case and literature review assessing malignant craniopharyngiomas, a very rare but highly aggressive transformation. Based on their analyses, malignant craniopharyngiomas occur primarily in young adults with a median survival of 6 months. The documented case was only the second reported that contain both BAP1 and TP53 mutations suggesting that both may function in the pathogenesis and may be appropriate therapeutic targets.
Disseminated Coccidiomycosis and Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia Coinfection: A Case Report and Literature Review.
Turner SN, Auen TJ, Yuil-Valdes AG, Iwen PC, Vogel DC, Cohen SM. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2025 Dec 10. doi: 10.1097/PAF.0000000000001109. Online ahead of print. PMID: 41366842
PGY1 Dr. Sabrina Turner published a case review with Dr. Cohen and other departmental colleagues describing a rare case of patient from Arizona who was co-infected with both Coccidioides immitis and Pneumosystis jirovecii.
Differential sensitivity of leukocyte populations to Staphylococcus aureus biofilm.
Brandquist ND, Kielian T. Infect Immun. 2026 Jan 29:e0065425. doi: 10.1128/iai.00654-25. Online ahead of print. PMID: 41609497
Staphylococcus aureus causes a multitude of infections, including those associated with biomedical devices such as prosthetic joint infection (PJI). Anti-inflammatory granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (G-MDSCs) represent the main leukocyte population in staphylococcal PJI infections. In a study by fourth year pre-doctoral trainee Nichole Brandquist, it was found that macrophages were highly sensitive to S. aureus biofilm whereas G-MDSCs and neutrophils (PMNs) were more resistant. However, G-MDSCs were much more susceptible to S. aureus grown under planktonic conditions. Caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis was observed in PMNs, whereas macrophages and G-MDSCs were targeted by necrosis. The differential sensitivity to biofilm may account, in part, for the abundance of G-MDSCs and PMNs, but not Mφs, during staphylococcal biofilm-mediated infections.
Primary Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Genitourinary System: Two Rare Examples of Testicular and Renal Neuroendocrine Tumors with Clinicopathologic and Molecular Findings.
Manzo R, Renavikar PS, Cushman-Vokoun A, Wagner DG, Lele SM. Int J Surg Pathol. 2026 Feb;34(1):162-168. doi: 10.1177/10668969251350265. Epub 2025 Jul 7. PMID: 40620063
Dr. Rebecca Manzo (PGY-3) and colleagues have published a study examining two cases of primary neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) in the genitourinary tract where critical information including treatment options are lacking. Description of these cases highlight the need for urologists and pathologists to collaborate and recognize NETs in unusual locations for appropriate diagnostics and thus treatment considerations.
Unlocking the Power of CXCR2 Inhibition to Overcome Gemcitabine Resistance in Pancreatic Cancer.
Molczyk C, Sturgeon R, Saxena S, Johnson E, Bhatia R, Bhyravbhatla N, Kumar S, Batra SK, Singh RK. FASEB Bioadv. 2026 Jan 11;8(1):e70086. doi: 10.1096/fba.2025-00265. eCollection 2026 Jan. PMID: 41531487
MD/PhD scholar Caitlyn Molczyk and colleagues in Dr. Rakesh Singh’s laboratory published a new study in FASEB Bioadvances where they investigated the function of the CXCR2, a chemokine receptor, in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) therapy resistance. Dr. Molczyk found that lower concentrations of gemcitabine combined with the CXCR2 antagonist Navarixin were more effective in the treatment of gemcitabine resistant cell lines. They concluded that the CXCR2 axis was critical in PDAC therapy resistance thus suggesting a potential therapeutic PDAC strategy.
In other news:
- Adedayo Ogunware, a pre-doctoral trainee in Dr. Tammy Kielian’s laboratory has received a two-year American Heart Association pre-doctoral training award. His application, entitled “S. aureus biofilms exploit lipid metabolism to promote PMN-to-G-MDSC reprogramming” will test the hypothesis that TLR2-mediated recognition of S. aureus lipoproteins drives PMN-to-G-MDSC reprogramming via lipid metabolic adaptation.
- Peyton VanWinkle, a postdoctoral trainee in Dr. Stacey Gilk’s laboratory, has received a two-year American Heart Association postdoctoral training award entitled “Coxiella burnetii Modulates Host Signaling and Metabolism Through Lipid Droplet Remodeling. This project examines how Coxiella burnetii, the bacterium that causes Q fever, hijacks host lipid droplets to survive inside cells and avoid toxic lipids. By understanding how specific lipids and lipid trafficking pathways affect bacterial growth, this work may uncover new therapeutic targets for treating chronic Q fever and endocarditis.