Peter Kopač

Full Citation: Korošec P, Lyons JJ, Svetina M, et al. Hereditary α-tryptasemia is Associated With Anaphylaxis to Antibiotics and Monoclonal Antibodies. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2025;13(6):1449-1456.e4.

Medicine combines careful scientific thinking with everyday work with patients. While complex clinical problems are intellectually stimulating, my main motivation comes from long-term patient relationships and from seeing how knowledge can make a real difference in daily care.

Assist. Prof. Peter Kopač, MD, PhD, is Head of Allergology at the University Clinic Golnik, the President of the Slovenian Section for Allergology and Clinical Immunology and an Associate Professor at the University of Ljubljana.

Dr. Kopač is a board-certified specialist in Internal Medicine and Allergology, with clinical expertise in severe asthma, drug hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis. He is actively involved in the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and is a member of the EAACI Drug Allergy Board. He has authored more than 60 scientific publications, with recent research focusing on genetic and molecular mechanisms of severe allergic reactions.

Dr. Kopač’s work is deeply rooted in clinical practice and driven by the need to improve patient safety, particularly in individuals at risk of severe and life-threatening allergic reactions.

Identifying genetic risk factors for drug-induced anaphylaxis

This study addresses a critical patient-safety gap by identifying hereditary α-tryptasemia as a strong genetic risk modifier for drug-induced anaphylaxis, particularly to antibiotics and monoclonal antibodies. Carriers of this trait were approximately four times more likely to experience severe, life-threatening reactions, highlighting a previously underrecognized high-risk patient subgroup.

Mechanistically, the work advances understanding of anaphylaxis by demonstrating that increased TPSAB1 α-tryptase copy number—reflected by elevated basal serum tryptase—amplifies mast cell–mediated responses. Hereditary α-tryptasemia was markedly enriched among patients with drug-induced anaphylaxis compared with the general population and was consistently present in all patients with basal tryptase levels >11.4 ng/mL across independent cohorts.

Clinically, these findings have immediate implications for daily practice. Measurement of basal serum tryptase and targeted tryptase genotyping offer a practical approach to identify patients at heightened risk before exposure to high-risk drugs. This enables more informed therapeutic choices, tailored monitoring, and preventive strategies, moving drug allergy management toward precision-based, safer care rather than reactive risk mitigation.

Bridging molecular research and bedside care

For Dr. Kopač, medicine is about finding the right balance between solid science and everyday patient care. His motivation for research comes directly from questions that arise in routine clinical work, especially when existing knowledge does not fully explain what he sees in practice. Research gives him a way to explore these gaps and turn biological insights into something that can genuinely improve patient care. He is particularly motivated by work that has clear clinical relevance, improves patient safety, and can be realistically integrated into busy clinical settings.

Outside of his clinical and research work he  values time spent outdoors, particularly in the mountains, which helps him maintain perspective and mental balance. He also enjoys fiction across different media, drawn to stories that explore uncertainty and challenge established ways of thinking—an interest that mirrors his curiosity in clinical and scientific work.

Being selected as a finalist for the International Medis Awards is an important and encouraging recognition for him and his team. It reinforces the idea that clinically grounded research from Slovenia can resonate internationally and serves as additional motivation to continue developing allergology through research that stays closely connected to real-world patient care.