By Michelle Jaffee
Daryl Fields, M.D., Ph.D., is an MBI Scholar and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine and a staff surgeon at the Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center. His research aims to improve breathing and mobility for patients with spinal cord injury, ALS, multiple sclerosis and stroke.
Q: What is the most exciting discovery you’ve made so far?
A. As of right now, the medical field really doesn’t have effective early treatment options for patients with spinal cord injuries. We do a surgery to stabilize your spine, we bring you to the ICU and then we facilitate your transition to rehab. There exists a critical period, which we’ve labeled the acute transition period, where patients have completed their surgery but are not yet ready for rehab. During this period, many patients suffer silent catastrophic injuries that undermine recovery, possibly committing those who otherwise would have recovered to a life of significant disability.
In my lab, we’ve identified a molecule to help detect “silent injuries.” This molecule is a metabolite of serotonin, and it allows us to appreciate on a cellular level what’s happened to the spinal cord. This diagnostic tool helps to create a framework for exploring early drug therapies and neuromodulation technologies.
So this diagnostic tool is an important discovery because it allows us to then develop early treatments that could change the recovery trajectory for patients with spinal cord injuries. And that’s why we’re so passionate about this field, because we really haven’t been able to provide therapies otherwise.
Q: What inspired you to focus on this area of neuroscience?
A. During my college years at Saint John’s University, I spent every summer and winter break serving as a firefighter and EMT. While we were in every way firefighters, most of our emergency calls were medical in nature. I recall caring for patients with conditions ranging from diabetes to life-threatening episodes including car accidents and heart attacks. Being a pillar of support for my community was something I valued immensely. It gave me purpose and in a lot of ways inspired my direction to serving my community through a career in medicine.
While enrolled in medical school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, I concurrently completed my Ph.D. under the mentorship of Drs. Gordon Mitchell and Tracy Baker. My Ph.D. focused on developing novel therapies to promote recovery in patients with neural paralysis. Across the street from my Ph.D. lab was a neural rehab clinic that focused on training physical therapy students to care for patients with stroke, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries, among other neural disorders. I saw this as an opportunity to engage with patients whose conditions aligned with the research work I was pursuing. Three days a week, I’d go over to the neural rehab clinic to assist the class instructor. I became a personal trainer and over the course of several years was blessed to develop personal relationships with many of the clients we cared for. Over time, I came to realize that we don’t really have a lot of options for patients with neural disabilities. Much of the care we provided was centered on preventing muscle atrophy, spasticity and other delayed comorbidities that often occur in patients with paralysis. It was heartbreaking. We had given up on pursuing recovery. I thought, we’ve got to do better. So I considered which medical specialty to pursue. I knew I wanted to pursue a field that allowed me to challenge our current paradigm of treatment. I wanted to be innovative and pursue novel technologies to truly give patients hope for developing independence. This mission drove me toward neurosurgery. Today, I proudly state that I am living the mission I set out to pursue years ago. I develop novel treatment strategies for patients with paralysis. I partner with industry leaders to create and explore new technologies and drugs that are centered on restoring dignity and independence for patients with paralysis.
Q: How do you envision your research advancing neurological disease treatments?
A. This year, I joined the UF faculty with a dual appointment as a neurosurgeon at the VA hospital, where I primarily see patients with spine disorders, ALS, multiple sclerosis and stroke. I’m leading a clinical trial centered on developing novel diagnostics to identify silent injuries in neurotrauma patients. This trial is the first step in developing effective treatment options to limit silent injuries and promote recovery in neurotrauma patients.
I’m also collaborating with Dr. James Wymer on therapies to preserve breathing control in ALS patients. We are collaborating with industry partners, academic leaders and community-engagement programs to empower patients to direct our priorities. I believe we are on the cusp of something novel that will improve quality of life and prolong ventilator independence for patients with ALS.
Q: What makes working in your lab different from other research environments?
A. We’re not ones to look at the clock on the wall or count the minutes until our work period is complete. We are driven by a passion to change life for patients living with disability. Andrew Kline is the lead clinical research coordinator in my lab and a former ICU nurse. I knew him for years before he joined my research group. He’s all in. Our lab manager, Amy Poirier, came with decades of experience. We all have the same singular purpose: We are here to change the game for patients with paralysis. We are driven by impact.
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
A. I do consulting for startups and serve on several nonprofit foundation boards, and I’m also involved at my church. My wife and I take dance classes — we do bachata, ballroom and casual dancing. She’s light years ahead of me as she’s been dancing competitively for years. She makes me look good.