Dr. Dimitris Papanicolaou

Dr. Dimitris Papanicolaou has spent his career chasing cytokines, chemical messengers that help control the way the body responds to external and internal stimuli. After he received his medical degree at Athens University in Greece and his internal medicine training at Yale University, Dr. Papanicolaou worked at the National Institutes of Health as a neuroendocrinologist. He joined the staff of Emory University as an assistant professor in 2000.

His interest in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) stems from his study of illnesses in which cortisol, a stress hormone, is either higher or lower than normal. In these illnesses, cytokine production and release is often abnormal too. There have been dozens of studies of abnormal cytokine levels in CFS, although there is no consensus on whether this is a cause of the symptoms or an effect of the illness.

Dimitris jokes that interleukin-6 (IL-6) is his favorite cytokine. He’s still fascinated by the complex and often subtle ways in which IL-6 drives a host of interactions in the body. Relatively new research has documented that IL-6 is produced in great quantity by a largely overlooked body organ – fat, or adipose tissue. He believes this recent discovery holds great potential for unlocking some of the mysteries of CFS and other chronic conditions. His CFS research is supported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and The CFIDS Association of America.

Dr. Papanicolaou uses his keen insight and intense intellect beyond the lab to stimulate deeper inquiry into the challenges posed by CFS. He has served as chairman for two of the Association’s three scientific symposia; he has actively participated in numerous forums designed to bring greater clarity to unique challenges in researching CFS and caring for CFS patients; and he has cultivated the interest of colleagues at Emory who have launched their own promising CFS projects. In addition, he has spoken before groups of CFS patients and their loved ones, illuminating for them the current state of CFS research and how apparently unrelated findings can be connected. It’s not uncommon for even veteran CFS conference attendees to state, “Wow. It’s the first time it has all really made sense to me,” following his talks.

Association president & CEO Kim Kenney reflects on the way in which Dr. Papanicolaou came to join the staff at Emory and the CDC’s CFS group. “In 1997, when we began asking Congress to direct CDC to add a neuroendocrinologist to its CFS research group, we had no idea that the field would be elevated by someone of the caliber of Dr. Papanicolaou. I feel strongly that CDC’s recruitment of Dimitris (through an agreement with Emory) is one of the most successful outcomes of our advocacy work. We are trying to do a better job of showing the impact advocacy can have on research. There is no finer example than the many contributions Dr. Papanicolaou has already made to the field.”

When he’s not in the lab or behind the podium, Dimitris enjoys traveling with his wife, Dr. Evi Giannakakou, a gifted cancer researcher also working at Emory. He’s a bit of a thrill-seeker, too; he is an experienced skydiver who’s made over 30 jumps. “It’s an amazing feeling of true freedom. Too bad gravity always wins.” Maybe that’s why he’s chosen as daunting a task as CFIDS research for his life’s work. He talks of the tremendous potential for progress, “I think we have a real opportunity to shed new light on an extremely complex condition. It’s exciting to think about improving the diagnosis and treatment of a condition that so severely impacts the lives of those who have it.”