Allan Douglas Kirk

David C. Sabiston, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Surgery

I am a surgeon with interest in immune management of transplant recipients. I am particularly interested in therapies that influence T cell costimulation pathways and adjuvant therapies that facilitate costimulation blockade to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs without undue suppression of protective immunity. I am also interested in understanding how injury, such as that occurring during trauma or in elective surgery, influences immune responses and subsequent healing following injury.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • David C. Sabiston, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Surgery
  • Professor of Surgery
  • Chair of Surgery
  • Professor in Integrative Immunobiology
  • Professor in Pediatrics
  • Core Faculty in Innovation & Entrepreneurship
  • Member of the Duke Cancer Institute

Contact Information

  • Office Phone: +1 919 681 3445
  • Email Address: allan.kirk@duke.edu

Education

  • B.S. Old Dominion University, 1983
  • M.D. Duke University, School of Medicine, 1987
  • Ph.D. Duke University, 1992
  • Duke University, 1989
  • Duke University, 1992
  • Duke University, 1994
  • Duke University, 1995
  • University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1997

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Member. National Academy of Medicine. 2016

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Anderson, D. J., D. J. Lo, F. Leopardi, M. Song, N. A. Turgeon, E. A. Strobert, J. B. Jenkins, et al. “Anti-Leukocyte Function-Associated Antigen 1 Therapy in a Nonhuman Primate Renal Transplant Model of Costimulation Blockade-Resistant Rejection.” Am J Transplant 16, no. 5 (May 2016): 1456–64. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.13628.
  • Espinosa, J., F. Herr, G. Tharp, S. Bosinger, M. Song, A. B. Farris, R. George, et al. “CD57(+) CD4 T Cells Underlie Belatacept-Resistant Allograft Rejection.” Am J Transplant 16, no. 4 (April 2016): 1102–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.13613.
  • Xu, H., K. P. Samy, A. Guasch, S. I. Mead, A. Ghali, A. Mehta, L. Stempora, and A. D. Kirk. “Postdepletion Lymphocyte Reconstitution During Belatacept and Rapamycin Treatment in Kidney Transplant Recipients.” Am J Transplant 16, no. 2 (February 2016): 550–64. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.13469.
  • Freedman, Barry I., Stephen O. Pastan, Ajay K. Israni, David Schladt, Bruce A. Julian, Michael D. Gautreaux, Vera Hauptfeld, et al. “APOL1 Genotype and Kidney Transplantation Outcomes From Deceased African American Donors.” Transplantation 100, no. 1 (January 2016): 194–202. https://doi.org/10.1097/TP.0000000000000969.
  • Cooper, David K. C., Rita Bottino, Pierre Gianello, Melanie Graham, Wayne J. Hawthorne, Allan D. Kirk, Olle Korsgren, Chung-Gyu Park, and Collin Weber. “First update of the International Xenotransplantation Association consensus statement on conditions for undertaking clinical trials of porcine islet products in type 1 diabetes--Chapter 4: pre-clinical efficacy and complication data required to justify a clinical trial.” Xenotransplantation 23, no. 1 (2016): 46–52. https://doi.org/10.1111/xen.12226.
  • Elder, Robert W., Roshan P. George, Nancy M. McCabe, Fred H. Rodriguez, Wendy M. Book, William T. Mahle, and Allan D. Kirk. “Immunologic Aging in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: Does Infant Sternotomy Matter?” Pediatr Cardiol 36, no. 7 (October 2015): 1411–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-015-1174-9.
  • Cendales, L., R. Bray, H. Gebel, L. Brewster, R. Elbein, D. Farthing, M. Song, et al. “Tacrolimus to Belatacept Conversion Following Hand Transplantation: A Case Report.” Am J Transplant 15, no. 8 (August 2015): 2250–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.13217.
  • Freitas, A. M., K. P. Samy, A. B. Farris, F. V. Leopardi, M. Song, L. Stempora, E. A. Strobert, J. A. Jenkins, A. D. Kirk, and L. C. Cendales. “Studies Introducing Costimulation Blockade for Vascularized Composite Allografts in Nonhuman Primates.” Am J Transplant 15, no. 8 (August 2015): 2240–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.13379.
  • Mou, Danny, Jaclyn E. Espinosa, Linda Stempora, Neal N. Iwakoshi, and Allan D. Kirk. “Viral-induced CD28 loss evokes costimulation independent alloimmunity.” J Surg Res 196, no. 2 (June 15, 2015): 241–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2015.02.033.
  • Beasley, Georgia M., Theodore N. Pappas, and Allan D. Kirk. “Procedure Delegation by Attending Surgeons Performing Concurrent Operations in Academic Medical Centers: Balancing Safety and Efficiency.” Ann Surg 261, no. 6 (June 2015): 1044–45. https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000001208.
  • Lo, D. J., D. J. Anderson, M. Song, F. Leopardi, A. B. Farris, E. Strobert, S. Chapin, B. Devens, E. Karrer, and A. D. Kirk. “A pilot trial targeting the ICOS-ICOS-L pathway in nonhuman primate kidney transplantation.” Am J Transplant 15, no. 4 (April 2015): 984–92. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.13100.
  • Gupta, Nitika A., Vasantha L. Kolachala, Rong Jiang, Carlos Abramowsky, Asha Shenoi, Astrid Kosters, Haritha Pavuluri, Frank Anania, and Allan D. Kirk. “Mitigation of autophagy ameliorates hepatocellular damage following ischemia-reperfusion injury in murine steatotic liver.” Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 307, no. 11 (December 1, 2014): G1088–99. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpgi.00210.2014.
  • Mou, D., J. Espinosa, D. J. Lo, and A. D. Kirk. “CD28 negative T cells: is their loss our gain?” Am J Transplant 14, no. 11 (November 2014): 2460–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.12937.
  • Kirk, A. D., A. Guasch, H. Xu, J. Cheeseman, S. I. Mead, A. Ghali, A. K. Mehta, et al. “Renal transplantation using belatacept without maintenance steroids or calcineurin inhibitors.” Am J Transplant 14, no. 5 (May 2014): 1142–51. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.12712.
  • Lo, Denise J., Bruce Kaplan, and Allan D. Kirk. “Biomarkers for kidney transplant rejection.” Nat Rev Nephrol 10, no. 4 (April 2014): 215–25. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2013.281.
  • Xu, H., S. D. Perez, J. Cheeseman, A. K. Mehta, and A. D. Kirk. “The allo- and viral-specific immunosuppressive effect of belatacept, but not tacrolimus, attenuates with progressive T cell maturation.” Am J Transplant 14, no. 2 (February 2014): 319–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.12574.
  • Samy, Kannan P., Benjamin M. Martin, Nicole A. Turgeon, and Allan D. Kirk. “Islet cell xenotransplantation: a serious look toward the clinic.” Xenotransplantation 21, no. 3 (2014): 221–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/xen.12095.
  • Lo, D. J., D. J. Anderson, T. A. Weaver, F. Leopardi, M. Song, A. B. Farris, E. A. Strobert, et al. “Belatacept and sirolimus prolong nonhuman primate renal allograft survival without a requirement for memory T cell depletion.” Am J Transplant 13, no. 2 (February 2013): 320–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-6143.2012.04342.x.
  • Lowe, M. C., I. R. Badell, A. P. Turner, P. W. Thompson, F. V. Leopardi, E. A. Strobert, C. P. Larsen, and A. D. Kirk. “Belatacept and sirolimus prolong nonhuman primate islet allograft survival: adverse consequences of concomitant alefacept therapy.” Am J Transplant 13, no. 2 (February 2013): 312–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-6143.2012.04341.x.
  • Charafeddine, A. H., E. J. Kim, D. M. Maynard, H. Yi, T. A. Weaver, M. Gunay-Aygun, M. Russell, W. A. Gahl, and A. D. Kirk. “Platelet-derived CD154: ultrastructural localization and clinical correlation in organ transplantation.” Am J Transplant 12, no. 11 (November 2012): 3143–51. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-6143.2012.04241.x.
  • Thompson, P., I. R. Badell, M. Lowe, A. Turner, J. Cano, J. Avila, A. Azimzadeh, et al. “Alternative immunomodulatory strategies for xenotransplantation: CD40/154 pathway-sparing regimens promote xenograft survival.” Am J Transplant 12, no. 7 (July 2012): 1765–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-6143.2012.04031.x.
  • Lo, D. J., T. A. Weaver, L. Stempora, A. K. Mehta, M. L. Ford, C. P. Larsen, and A. D. Kirk. “Selective targeting of human alloresponsive CD8+ effector memory T cells based on CD2 expression.” Am J Transplant 11, no. 1 (January 2011): 22–33. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-6143.2010.03317.x.
  • Newell, Kenneth A., Adam Asare, Allan D. Kirk, Trang D. Gisler, Kasia Bourcier, Manikkam Suthanthiran, William J. Burlingham, et al. “Identification of a B cell signature associated with renal transplant tolerance in humans.” J Clin Invest 120, no. 6 (June 2010): 1836–47. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI39933.