Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos, MD, PhD


As.Professor in Allergology- Pediatric Allergology, Head, Allergy Dpt, 2nd Pediatric Clinic, University of Athens


email: ngp@allergy.gr

Also:
Secretary General
European Academy of Allergy & Clinical Immunology
www.eaaci.net



1. How do you feel as a winner of the prestigious PhARF award 2010?
It is a delight, a deep satisfaction and an inspiration. This mixture of feelings come and goes, but they all are very strong. Such a distinction is at the limit of overwhelming and I’ve wowed several times in front of the mirror (not in public – I try to be more reserved there…)

2. Which do you think is the biggest scientific discovery in your research field?
The understanding that infectious agents are crucial in driving the allergic immune response, either preventing, initiating or triggering it, is a major finding to which many important scientists have contributed. It sounds very reasonable of course, as every important discovery, post hoc (like the egg of Columbus).

3. What projects are you currently involved?
In the context of GA2LEN, we just completed a study looking into symptom patterns in patients with rhinitis and asthma, using diary cards (DARE). This and several other GA2LEN projects are now being analyzed and prepared for publication.
Very recently a new project was accepted for funding by the EU. The hypothesis behind PreDicta is that repeated infections may reprogram the immune response to a persistent inflammatory ie allergic state. The project will start in October, in collaboration with major Universities around Europe
In other fields, we’ve completed our participation in EUROPREVALL, looking into various aspects of food allergy and are continuing with FAST, a food allergy immunotherapy EU project. Food allergy immunotherapy is another big passion and focus of my group.
In addition to these multicenter studies, we have projects on childhood rhinitis, bronchiolitis, virus-bacteria interactions, urticaria, recombinant allergens and more. It’s a rather busy group, with several enthusiastic colleagues doing their best to understand allergic disease and treat their patients better

4. What do you think will be the impact of the PhARF award on your career?
Seeing my name in the list of the PhARF awardees is an honor that I can still hardly believe. I hope that this will generate more interest in the scientific domain I’m working on and attract attention from industry and funding bodies.

5. What do you think are the steps for further awareness of the society concerning allergies?
There is still much to do. In many parts of the world, allergies are considered trivial issues and the impact of these conditions on the quality of life of the sufferers, but also on public health is really underestimated.
Awareness comes with a strong public voice, clear messages and most important, a sincere and deep understanding on what has to be done. To start with, we have to get the attention of the world. Then we should gain their trust through our scientific excellence, providing knowledge and solutions.