Profile
Spyros Kalams, MD
Executive Committee Member
Biography
Dr. Kalams is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology. Dr. Kalams completed his research infectious diseases training at Massachusetts General Hospital in the laboratory of Dr. Bruce Walker and joined the MGH Infectious Diseases faculty after he completed his training. His laboratory focuses on the immune response to intracellular pathogens such as viruses (HIV, influenza, SARS CoV-2) and M. tuberculosis. His group uses multiparametric flow cytometry (mass cytometry and spectral flow cytometry) to determine the relationship between peripheral blood lymphocyte phenotypes and immune responses to influenza vaccination across several clinical trials in immune compromised populations (collaboration with Dr. Natasha Halasa). He is studying the single cell transcriptomic profile of cells recognizing M. tuberculosis in exposed individuals to identify signatures associated with disease progression (collaboration with Dr. Timothy Sterling). His laboratory is also studying the relationship between the metabolic profile of immune cells and the ability of individuals to respond to respiratory virus vaccines in HIV and aging. He has directed national phase 1 clinical trials to study the safety and immunogenicity of HIV vaccines and was the site PI of the phase 3 Moderna SARS CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. He is the co-Director of the Vanderbilt HIV Clinical Trials Unit, Principal Investigator of the Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Clinical Research Site, Director of the Tennessee Center for AIDS Research Advanced Technologies Core, and Director of the Vanderbilt Infection Pathogenesis Epidemiology Research T32 Training Grant.
More About Spyros Kalams, MD
My laboratory specializes in understanding cellular immune responses directed against intracellular pathogens.In addition to determining the phenotype and function of pathogen specific T cells, we have extensivelydetermined the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of epitope-specific T cells (detailed in section C). We evaluated T cell receptor usage of HIV-specific T cells and determined that individual T cell clonotypes can display distinct T cell phenotypes (1), and that the T cell receptor and phenotype of individual T cells is related to thedegree of cross-reactivity to circulating virus epitope variants (2). We have applied this expertise toward the study of chronic CMV infection (3) and T lymphocytes from adipose tissue (4).
I am the director of the Laboratory Sciences Core (LSC) of the Tennessee CFAR. The LSC performsseveral unique services for CFAR investigators. These include isolation and storage of cells from blood and tissues and staining of cells for flow cytometry (both fluorescence and mass cytometry). In addition to performing the assays, the LSC provides data interpretation, helps generate figures, and provides access to data visualization tools such as viSNE. No other such core facility exists at Vanderbilt and Meharry, and thisunique resource has allowed investigators without prior laboratory training to develop robust translationalresearch programs. Over the prior grant period the LSC developed assays for staining and single cell sorting of rare B and T cell subsets, and through tight integration with the VANTAGE core, visualization of complex singlecell RNA transcriptomic data. In anticipation of increased demand of our immunology and genomics services,as well as the generation of increasingly complex data sets, the LSC has added individuals with significantbioinformatics expertise, including Ivelin Georgiev (B cell and antibodies) and Suman Das (Virology and microbiome). I will build on the model we have already established with the LSC;my group will work withthis team over the next award cycle to ensure CFAR investigators have full access to services thatprepare samples for analysis, as well as provide downstream analysis and interpretation of data. This “continuum of support” model has been remarkably successful at removing barriers to usage of laboratory services.