APOLLO In The News
This page is dedicated to all things APOLLO, APOL1 and kidney transplant-related that have been noticed in different publications and the news! Look below to see the accomplishments made from our great team.
You may also click on the icons to learn more about these events.
Every year, the APOLLO Study team meets in the spring and fall to hold our Steering Committee meetings to discuss and share all things APOLLO. This year, we had our fall meeting in person for the first time since 2020!
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The meeting was held on September 4th and took place at the NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) building in Bethesda, Maryland.
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Click the picture to the right (above if you are on a mobile device) to see the great time we had at the meeting!
KaShawna Guy, a Project Manager with the APOLLO SDRC, recently represented APOLLO at the national Society for Clinical Trials (SCT) conference. KaShawna's accepted poster was entitled ""Working Through Challenges: Managing and Maintaining Partnerships While Transitioning into Phase II of the APOLLO Study"" and highlighted the transition into Phase II of the APOLLO Study.
Congratulations to APOLLO Clinical Center Co-Principle Investigators, Drs. Roslyn Mannon and Kenneth Newell, for being honored with the Medal of Excellence in the Transplant Professional Category by the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP).
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The APOLLO Study is incredibly proud of Drs. Mannon and Newell!
We are thrilled to share that Dr. Darshana Dahania, an APOLLO Clinical Center Principle Investigator, has been elected to sit on The American Society Of Transplantation Board as a Councilor-at-Large.
Outside of APOLLO, Dr. Dadhania has many hats. Darshana Dadhania, M.D., M.S., D(ABHI) is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College and an Associate Attending Physician at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She also holds several administrative positions to include: Medical Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program; Program Director of Transplant Nephrology Fellowship at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.
Congratulations, Dr. Dadhania!
Sylvia Rosas, an APOLLO Clinical Center PI, has a recently published manuscript entitled "Association of Recipient APOL1 Kidney Risk Alleles With Kidney Transplant Outcomes". This manuscript details the results of the observational trial, The Renal Transplant Outcome Study. The study investigated kidney transplant survival among African American recipients within 3 transplant centers in Philadelphia from 1999–2004. Researchers focused on a specific genetic factor called APOL1 risk alleles, and analyzed the outcomes based on the presence of the alleles.
The APOLLO Study has recently been highlighted in the NIDDK Recent Advances & Emerging Opportunities. The "NIDDK Recent Advances & Emerging Opportunities" report, which has been published since 2001, features important progress in research supported by NIDDK (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases). The examples in the report show the wide and diverse range of research funded by NIDDK and the promising impact it can have in the future. The APOLLO Study has two publications in the report entitled "Alternatives to Race-Based Kidney Function Calculations"​, and "APOLLO: Assessing the intersection of APUL1 and AA donor kidney transplantation". These both can be found in the Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases Chapter.
To learn more about the NIDDK Recent Advances & Emerging Opportunities report, click here.
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APOLLO's own Clincal Center PI Dr. Mariella Ortigosa-Goggins, recently published an Op-Ed entitled: "Distinguishing race from biology in kidney transplant outcomes". This Op-Ed goes into detail about how the APOLLO Study is working toward ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion in kidney transplants. Click the button below and the image to read and learn more.
Drs. Mariella Ortigosa-Goggins, APOLLO Co-Investigator, and Krista Lentine and Roslyn B. Mannon, APOLLO Co- Principle Investigators, recently had an article published in the Turkish Journal of Nephrology entitled "The Impact of Ethnicity on Research Authorization at the Time of Organ Donation: A Single-Center Experience Among Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation". This article highlights the importance of research on deceased organ donors and how it can be the key to expanding our understanding of factors that influence the quality and quantity of organs for transplantation.
KaShawna Guy, a Project Manager with the APOLLO SDRC, recently represented APOLLO at the national Society for Clinical Trials (SCT) conference. KaShawna's accepted poster was entitled "Strategies for Efficiently Building Public Facing Websites to Promote Participant Recruitment and Engagement" and highlighted the APOLLO community-facing website.
Dr. Krista Lentine, APOLLO Co-Principle Investigator and Saint Louis University (SLU) Care Nephrologist, has provided her medical expertise on an article entitled "What You Need To Know About Kidney Transplants". This article not only highlights the importance of Kidney Transplants, but what donors and recipients can expect during the process.
“Despite the risks, kidney transplant is the preferred treatment option for most patients, improving quality of life and survival over long-term dialysis,” - Krista Lentine, M.D., Ph.D.
Ms. Nichole Jefferson, CAC member since study inception, has been quoted in a USA Today article speaking out against a test that elongated the wait time for many Black Americans to receive kidney transplants.
APOLLO Co-Principle Investigator and Saint Louis University (SLU) Care Nephrologist, Dr. Krista L. Lentine (2nd from left) & APOLLO Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator (far right), along with the SLU team, discuss the importance of knowing if you are at risk of Kidney disease due to genetic variations through genotyping. The article states that "African Americans have an increased risk of kidney failure, and research shows some of the higher levels are related to variations in a gene called apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1)."
CAC Members, Ms. Glenda Roberts (CAC co-Chair & Steering Committee member) and Dr. Patrick Gee recently received the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) President's Medal. An honor that is bestowed to individuals who have helped advance ASN's mission to "lead the fight against kidney disease by educating health professionals, sharing new knowledge, advancing research, and advocating the highest quality care for patients."
