SUMMARY
The research of Maria I. Vazquez Roque, M.D., M.S., includes evaluating alternative therapies for recurrent C. difficile infection (CDI), the role of the gut microbiome and immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) colitis.
Focus areas
- Therapies for recurrent CDI. Dr. Vazquez Roque conducts preclinical studies with industry colleagues on the efficacy of alternative therapies such as microbial suspensions to treat recurrent CDI.
- ICI colitis. Dr. Vazquez Roque aims to better understand the role of the gut microbiome in the treatment of ICI colitis and evaluate prevention therapies prior to exposure to ICI to treat cancer.
Significance to patient care
Treatment alternatives to prevent recurrent CDI is an unmet need in clinical practice. Currently the only option is fecal transfer from a healthy donor, but this procedure is not widely accessible. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the availability of stool scarce because the stool banks were recalled from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, thus current stool availability is very limited.
Immune-checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized cancer therapy in many solid tumors, but a significant percentage of patients develop side effects such as diarrhea and colitis so severe that reduction or discontinuation of therapy is necessary. The standard of care for ICI colitis is steroid therapy — often with good response but significant side effects — so investigating opportunities to prevent ICI colitis or develop alternative therapies is another unmet need.