Eva Otoupalova, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

School of Medicine
Department
Pulmonary Diseases Critical Care Environmental Medicine Clinical
Pulmonary Diseases Critical Care Environmental Medicine Research
Eva Otoupalova

Biography

Eva Otoupalova, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Environmental Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. She is a physician-scientist specializing in tuberculosis (TB) immunology, vaccine development, and host-directed therapies. Her research integrates basic and translational approaches, with a focus on TB-related sepsis and post-TB lung disease in resource-limited settings. Dr. Otoupalova serves as the Tulane site principal investigator for the ATLAS clinical trial, a multicenter study evaluating early empiric TB treatment in HIV-positive patients with suspected sepsis in East Africa. She also leads investigations into B-cell responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis lipids and other atypical antigens. Clinically, Dr. Otoupalova is an attending physician in the intensive care unit and provides care for patients with active and latent TB at the Wetmore TB Clinic.

Research

Dr. Otoupalova’s research explores the role of B cells and natural antibodies (NAbs) in patients with fibrotic ILD. She has identified natural IgA against oxidized lipids to be elevated in severe ILD. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she applied her clinical experiences to a project investigating the role of B1 cells and NAbs in patients with COVID-19. She discovered that total and anti-ACE2 specific IgM levels in patients with COVID-19 correlate with protection from severe disease and identified a candidate B-cell cluster associated with high anti-ACE2 IgM levels and less severe disease. She will continue related research projects at Tulane, including systemic and mucosal B cell responses to classical and novel tuberculosis (Tb) antigens and developing strategies to prevent and treat M.Tb. Dr. Otoupalova will be an invaluable contributor to our clinical, research, and educational programs within the section and department. 

Publications

View Dr. Otoupalova's publications here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/eva.otoupalova.1/bibliography/public/

Selected Publications

  1. Kakande R, Adejayan V, Zulfiqar M, Ndyomugabe M, Gruccio P, Ojuman P, Girard WS, Arinaitwe R, Conaway M, Otoupalova E, Moore CC, Nuwagira E. A narrative review of the pathophysiology of sepsis in sub-Saharan Africa: exploring the potential for corticosteroid therapy. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003147
  2. Otoupalova E, Mmbaga BT, Thomas TA. The quest for a child-friendly tuberculosis triage test. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2022;11(7):307–309. doi: 10.1093/jpids/piac020
  3. Chanda D, Otoupalova E*, Hough KP, et al. Fibronectin on the surface of extracellular vesicles mediates fibroblast invasion. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2019;60(3):279–288. doi: 10.1165/rcmb.2018-0062OC
  4. Otoupalova E, Smith S, Cheng G, Thannickal VJ. Oxidative stress in pulmonary fibrosis. Compr Physiol. 2020;10(2):509–547. doi: 10.1002/cphy.c190017
  5. Chanda D, Otoupalova E, Smith SR, et al. Developmental pathways in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis.Mol Aspects Med. 2019;65:56–69. doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2018.08.004
  6. Otoupalova E, Dalal B, Renard B. Right heart thrombus in transit: a series of two cases. Crit Ultrasound J. 2017;9(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s13089-017-0069-9

*Equal contribution noted where applicable.

Awards & Accomplishments

Dr. Eva Otoupalova, who joined the Department of Medicine in the Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care this summer, has been selected as a Tulane PSPP (Physician Scientist Pipeline Program) Scholar, and has been awarded a grant from the Wetmore Foundation for her tuberculosis research. Tuberculosis (TB) is the second most common cause of death from infectious disease worldwide after Covid-19. Despite advances in understanding TB pathogenesis, development of an effective TB vaccine remains a challenge. Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine (BCG), while highly effective in preventing childhood TB, has only 50% efficacy in adults, and ongoing vaccine candidate trials have yet to surpass that.  While mucosal antibody levels correlate with immune protection from TB, the mechanisms of mucosal response to Mtb antigens are poorly understood. Dr. Otoupalova's proposal will evaluate B-cell humoral and cellular responses to atypical Mtb antigens. Her investigations will examine which B-cell phenotypes are the source of Mtb-specific antibodies. She will also seek to enhance mucosal immunity against Mtb by using non-mucosal vaccine adjuvants combined with liposomal delivery of Mtb lipid antigens, and to test the efficacy of such an approach in relevant animal models.