C OV I D - 1 9 R E S P O N S E
Pivoting in a pandemic As COVID-19 reached Chicago, these six physicians and scientists stepped up to fight the virus on different fronts, leading innovative efforts to understand, treat and slow transmission of the infectious disease.
CLINICAL TRIALS
Soon after thoracic surgeon
“COVID-19 has changed the way we do science.” Maria Lucia Madariaga, MD Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery
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Maria Lucia Madariaga, MD, arrived at the University of Chicago Medicine, elective surgery came to an abrupt halt. Madariaga, who had recently completed her fellowship training in Boston, had joined UChicago Medicine to focus on patients with lung, esophageal and airway disease and to direct the organ perfusion laboratory. With all inpatient clinical activity on hold, she turned her attention to launching a convalescent plasma clinical trial for COVID-19 patients at the medical center. Hospitals around the world, including a handful in China and the U.S., had begun testing the potential treatment for the rapidly spreading disease. “There was a big barrier to widespread study in this country because convalescent plasma treatment requires broad crossdiscipline collaboration,” she said. “At UChicago Medicine, we had the necessary teams — Biological Sciences Division, Blood Donation Center, Department of Medicine, Transplant Institute and Department of Surgery — under one roof.”
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO MEDICINE AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES DIVISION
She aligned all the stakeholders to create the “operational machine” needed to start the trial. “Policy had to be made at the same time as things were getting done,” said Madariaga, who was granted “lightning fast” approval from the Institutional Review Board. This initial trial looked at the feasibility and safety of procedures for identifying donors, collecting plasma donations and administering transfusions. Madariaga shared clinical data with Mayo Clinic, which had opened a large multicenter study. “We learned that convalescent plasma is a safe treatment for COVID-19 patients,” she said. “And we have anecdotal evidence that it works.” UChicago Medicine has joined a national randomized controlled study to determine if convalescent plasma decreases mortality and improves outcomes. One of Madariaga’s colleagues has taken over the lead. And she is back in the operating room. — Gretchen Rubin
