Ping Ren, PhD

Ping Ren, PhD, D(ABMM)
Professor

Department of Pathology
Associate Director of Clinical Microbiology Laboratory

Phone: (409) 772-5109
Email: piren@utmb.edu

Fungal infections are increasing, and with the expanding use of new and established antifungal agents, antifungal resistance has become an important clinical problem. One of my research interests is to develop and standardize antifungal drug combination testing methods using traditional microbroth dilution and probe-based methods, with an ultimate goal to introduce these assays to routine clinical laboratory testing with short turnaround time. The second focus area is special investigations on clinical diagnoses such as fungal identification from paraffin-embedded tissues and other non-cultivable, non-viable specimens; real-time PCR assays on primary fungal pathogens including Coccidioides immitis/posadasii, Histoplasma capsulatum,Blastomyces dermatitidis, and Cryptococcus gattii/neoformans. The third area of my research interests is diagnostic method development and evaluation on any new emergent infectious organisms and infectious diseases.

BA	Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China	Biology	1991
PhD	Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA	Environmental Microbiology	1996
Post-doctoral	Yale University, School of Public Health, New Haven, CT	Epidemiology and Public Health	2000

The scanning electron photomicrograph showing sexual forms of Cryptococcus gattii (Filobasidiella bacillispora) with hyphae, basidia, and basidiospores was featured on the cover of Eukaryotic Cell July 2006, Volume 5, Issue 7 ( P. Ren et. al credits enclosed) and was also selected as Wadsworth Center's featured image.

Professional Affiliations

2022 - Present	American Board of Medical Microbiology (ABMM) Item Development Subcommittee
2019 - 2022	ABMM Validation Subcommittee
1992 - Present	American Society for Microbiology

Appointments

2022 – present	Professor	Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
2015 - Present	Associate Director	Division of Clinical Microbiology Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
2020 – present	Assistant Director	CPEP-Accredited Clinical and Public Health Microbiology Fellowship Program Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
2015 – 2022	Associate Professor	Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
2011 - 2015	Faculty	Master of Science in Laboratory Sciences Program, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York
2000 - 2015	Research Scientist	Mycology Laboratory, Department of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York
2000 - 2015	NYSDOH Proficiency Test Coordinator	Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York
2000 - 2007	Consultant	Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut
2000	Associate Research Scientist	Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut

Editorial Responsibilities

2021 – present	Editorial Board of Journal of Clinical Microbiology
2021 – present	Editorial Board of Journal of Biosafety and Biosecurity
2017 - Present	Reviewer on the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) Subcommittee on Antifungal Susceptibility Testing

Selected Publications

Nielsen, M.C., Clarner, P., and Ren, P. Wrong place at the wrong maritime. Clin. Infect. Dis. 2022. 75: 907-909. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab905
Zou, J.*, Xie, X.*, Liu, M., Shi, P.-Y.^#, Ren, P. ^# Neutralization titers in vaccinated patients with SARS-CoV-2 Delta breakthrough infections. mBio. 2022. 13: e01996-22. https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.01996-22
*These authors have contributed equally to this study.
^#These authors are co-corresponding authors.
Kurhade, C.*, Zou, J.*, Xia, H., Liu, M., Yang, Q., Cutler, M., Cooper, D., Muik, A., Sahin, U., Jansen, K.U., Ren, P.^#, Xie, X.^#, Swanson, K.A.^#, Shi, P.-Y.^# Neutralization of Omicron sublineages and Deltacron SARS-CoV-2 by 3 doses of BNT162b2 vaccine or BA.1 infection. Emerg. Microbes Infect. 2022. 11: 1828-1832. https://doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2022.2099305
*These authors have contributed equally to this study.
^#These authors are co-corresponding authors.
Nielsen, M.C., Peterson, J.M., Shine, B., Hornak, J.P., Esechie, A., Bhatt, S., Desai, K., Dabi, A., Felicella, M.M., Ren, P. A fatal fungal infection of Cryptococcus gattii (VGI) meningitis in Texas. OFID. 2022. 9: ofac236. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac236
Zou, J.*, Xia, H.*, Shi, P.-Y., Xie, X.^#, Ren, P.^# A single-round infection fluorescent SARS-CoV-2 neutralization test for COVID-19 serological testing at a biosafety level-2 laboratory. Viruses. 2022. 14: 1211. http://doi.org/10.3390/v14061211
*These authors have contributed equally to this study.
^#These authors are co-corresponding authors.
Zou, J., Kurhade, C., Xia, H., Liu, M., Xie, X.^#, Ren, P.^#, Shi, P.-Y.^# Cross-neutralization of Omicron BA.1 against BA.2 and BA.3 SARS-CoV-2. Nat. Commun. 2022. 13: 2956. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30580-5
^#These authors are co-corresponding authors.
Zou, J.*, Xia, H.*, Xie, X.*, Kurhade, C., Machado, R.R.G., Weaver, S.C., Ren, P.^#, Shi, P.-Y.^# Neutralization against Omicron SARS-CoV-2 from previous non-Omicron infection. Nat. Commun. 2022. 13: 852. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28544-w
*These authors have contributed equally to this study.
^#These authors are co-corresponding authors.
Nielsen, M.C.*, Machado, R.R.G.*, Mitchell, B.M., McConnell, A.J., Saada, N.I., Weaver, S.C., Ren, P. A comparison of Seegene Technologies Novaplex SARS-CoV-2 Variants I, II, & IV assays 1 with spike gene sequencing for detection of known SARS-CoV-2 variants. J. Mol. Diagn. 2022. 24: 455-461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmoldx.2022.02.001
*These authors have contributed equally to this study.
(This paper was selected by JMD for a press release. https://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/easier-faster-assay-enables-many-more-laboratories-to-identify-covid-19-variants)
Thwe, P.M.*, Maiyo, E.*, and Ren, P. Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 assay performance: a year in review. Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 2021. 101:115536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2021.115536
*These authors have contributed equally to this study.
Nielsen, M.C., Reynoso, D., Ren, P. A brief case: A fatal case of SARS-CoV-2 co-infection with Coccidioides in Texas – another challenge we face. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2021. 59:e00163-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00163-21
Nielsen, M.C., Reynoso, D., Ren, P. Closing the brief case: A fatal case of SARS-CoV-2 co-infection with Coccidioides in Texas – another challenge we face. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2021. 59:e00164-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00164-21
Shi, A.C. and Ren, P. SARS-CoV-2 serology testing: progress and challenges. J. Immunol. Methods. 2021. 494: 113060. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jim.2021.113060
Xie, X., Nielsen, M.C., Muruato, A.E., Fontes-Garfias, C.R., Ren, P. Evaluation of a SARS-CoV-2 lateral flow assay using the plaque reduction neutralization test. Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 2021. 99:115248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2020.115248
Thwe, P.M. and Ren, P. Analysis of sputum/tracheal aspirate and nasopharyngeal samples for SARS-CoV-2 detection by laboratory-developed test and Panther Fusion System. Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 2021. 99:115228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2020.115228
Ren, P.^#, Rajkumar, S.S., Zhang, T., Sui, H., Masters, P.S., Martinkova, N., Kubátová, A, Pikula, J., Chaturvedi, S., Chaturvedi, V^#. A common partitivirus infection in United States and Czech Republic isolates of bat White-nose syndrome fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Sci. Rep. 2020. 10: 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70375-6
^#These authors are co-corresponding authors.
Muruato, A.E.*, Fontes-Garfias, C.R.*, Ren, P*, Garcia-Blanco, M.A., Menachery V.D., Xie, X., Shi, P.-Y. A high-throughput neutralizing antibody assay for COVID-19 diagnosis and vaccine evaluation. Nat. Commun. 2020. 11: 4059. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17892-0
*These authors have contributed equally to this study.
Thwe, P.M. and Ren, P. How many are we missing with ID NOW COVID-19 assay using direct nasopharyngeal swabs? - Findings from a mid-sized academic hospital clinical microbiology laboratory. Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 2020. 98:115123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2020.115123
Thwe, P.M., Schilling, M., Reynoso, D., Ren, P. Unexpected cholera bacteremia in a 91-year old patient. Lab. Med. 2020. Imaa028. https://doi.org/10.1093/labmed/lmaa028
Thwe, P.M., Ortiz, D.A., Anderson, A.L., Hornak, J.P., Williams-Bouyer, N., Ren, P. The brief case: Recurrent Chromobacterium violaceum bloodstream infection in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficient patient with severe neutrophil defect. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2020. 58:e00312-19. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00312-19
Thwe, P.M., Ortiz, D.A., Anderson, A.L., Hornak, J.P., Williams-Bouyer, N., Ren, P. Closing the brief case: Recurrent Chromobacterium violaceum bloodstream infection in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficient patient with severe neutrophil defect. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2020. 58:e00314-19. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00314-19
Webb, C.M., Ross, L., Monjazeb, S., Goodwin, B., and Ren, P. Photo Quiz: Skin nodules in a liver transplant recipient. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2020. 58:e01649-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01649-18
Webb, C.M., Ross, L., Monjazeb, S., Goodwin, B., and Ren, P. Answer to Photo Quiz: Microsphaeropsis arundinis and Phialophora verrucosa. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2020. 58:e01657-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01657-18
Ortiz, D.A., Ren, P. Photo Quiz: A multifocal rash in a 16-year-old aspiring veterinarian. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2019. 57:e00800-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00800-18
Ortiz, D.A., Ren, P. Answer to Photo Quiz: Trichophyton verrucosum. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2019. 57:e00801-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00801-18
Shan, C.*, Ortiz, D.A.*, Yang, Y., Wong, S.J., Kramer, L.D., Shi, P.-Y., Loeffelholz, M.J., Ren, P. Evaluation of a novel reporter virus neutralization test for the serological diagnosis of Zika and dengue virus infection. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2017. 55: 3028-3036. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00975-17.
*These authors have contributed equally to this study.
Ren, P.^#, Ortiz, D.A., Terzian, A.C.B., Colombo, T.E., Nogueira, M.L., Vasilakis, N., Loeffelholz, M.J.^# Evaluation of Aptima Zika virus assay. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2017. 55: 2198-2203. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00603-17. ^#These authors are co-corresponding authors

Ping Ren, PhD, D(ABMM)Professor

Ping Ren, PhD, D(ABMM)
Professor