MSc Molecular Biomedicine students - Entry Year of 2017
Elissavet - Kalliopi Akrioti obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2017. Her diploma thesis titled “Investigation of EDA & WNT10A gene polymorphisms in non- syndromic tooth agenesis”, was conducted under the supervision of Elena Drosopoulou & Zaharias Skouras. She worked as a summer intern (2016) at the Template Center of Molecular Biology and Cytogenetics of EuroGenetica S.A. and her job’s title was “The contribution of new generation sequencing (NGS) in diagnosis. The example of cystic fibrosis”. Last but not least she attended as a volunteer intern the Educational Program of Medical Genetics Laboratory, University of Athens - Children’s Hospital “Agia Sofia”, in 2015. Elissavet-Kalliopi joined in 2017 the MSc Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and BSRC "Alexander Fleming", from which she graduated in December 2019.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Elina Papanikolaou, Medical School - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Leonidas Stefanis, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Erasmia Taoufik, Hellenic Pasteur Institute
● PhD student — Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology - Stem Cells (Dr. Erasmia Taoufik Lab), Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
Andriani Angelopoulou was born in Athens in 1994. She received her Bachelor’s degree (2016) from the Biology Department at the University of Crete, with specialization in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. Her diploma thesis was conducted at IMBB- FORTH under the supervision of Professor George Garinis, and was focused on the identification of protein factors interacting with proteins of Nucleotide Excision Repair pathway upon DNA damage, in the terms of understanding the impact of genome instability on pathways associated with longevity and aging. Andriani joined in 2017 the MSc in Molecular Biomedicine of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens - Medical School, in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming" Institute, from which she graduated in July 2019.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Prof. Vassilis Gorgoulis, Medical School - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Prof. Michalis Karamouzis, Medical School - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Athanasios Kotsinas, Medical School - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
● PhD student — Department of Histology and Embryology (Molecular Carcinogenesis Group), Medical School - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (Prof. Vassilis Gorgoulis Lab), Athens, Greece
Vangelis Bonis obtained his BSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the Democritus University of Thrace. He conducted his dissertation thesis in the Laboratory of Cancer Genetics, studying the roles of BMP signalling pathway and GATA-3 during mouse mammary gland development, under the supervision of Professor Ioanna Maroulakou. Upon his graduation, Vangelis joined Dr. Apostolos Klinakis’ team at the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), where he studied the role of retinoic acid signalling in bladder tumorigenesis. He attended in parallel the MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and BSRC "Alexander Fleming". Vangelis’ future plans are to pursue an academic research career, focusing on the field of cell signalling and cancer. He graduated from the MSc in September 2019.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Apostolos Klinakis, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Zoe Cournia, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Apostolos Klinakis, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● PhD student — Laboratory of Tumor and Stem Cell Dynamics (Prof. Helmuth Gehart Lab), Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Department of Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Dionysios Fanidis was born in 1995 in Athens, Greece. He is an alumnus of the Evangeliki Model School of Smyrna and became in 2013 an undergraduate student of the Faculty of Biology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. After 4 years of studies, he obtained his Bachelor Degree in Biology. His dissertation thesis, which was conducted in Prof. Ioannis P. Trougakos lab, was entitled: "Study of the mechanisms of cellular proteostasis and antioxidant response during carcinogenesis". He then joined, in September 2017, the MSc programme in Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in collaboration with the BSRC Alexander Fleming, from which he graduated in July 2019.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Georgina Xanthou, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Panagiotis Moulos, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Pantelis Hatzis, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● PhD student — Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", Institute for Bioinnovation (Dr. Vassilis Aidinis Lab), Vari, Greece
Panagiotis Garantziotis graduated from the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens with honors. During his undergraduate studies, he obtained a solid academic background in the field of the clinical manifestations and the pathophysiological mechanisms of diseases. He was seeking though to acquire a deeper understanding of the immunology and inflammation homeostasis mechanisms, along with an expertise in the field of bio-innovation. He thus joined the MSc Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and BSRC "Alexander Fleming".
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Clio Mavraganni, Medical School - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Marietta Armaka, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Prof. Dimitrios Boumpas, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● PhD student — Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Dept. of Translational Medicine, Lab of Inflammation and Autoimmunity (Prof. Dimitrios Boumpas Lab), Athens, Greece
Krystallia Gourlia was born in 1995, in Athens, Greece, and received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Crete in 2017. She conducted her research thesis at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology- FORTH (ITE) in Professor Christos Delidakis' Laboratory. There, she investigated the co-operation between bHLH proteins of the Achaete/Scute complex and Zn-finger Snail proteins in the early neurogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster. Furthermore, during her academic studies she joined other research teams in FORTH and BSRC "Alexander Fleming" and attended various conferences, experiences which have enlarged her passion for medical research. Krystallia joined in September 2017 the Molecular Biomedicine Master’s Degree Program of the Medical School - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming" Institute. She graduated from the MSc in March 2020.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Christoforos Nikolaou, University of Crete
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Prof. Christos Tsatsanis, University of Crete
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Sofia Agelaki, University of Crete
● Research Fellow — Data Analysis & Machine Learning Laboratory (Dr. Ioannis Tsamardinos Lab), Computer Science Department, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
Eleni Kardala was born in Mytilene, Lesvos in 1994. She obtained in 2017 her Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) with Honors. She completed her undergraduate thesis with title: “Pilot pharmacokinetic study of inhaled aspirin after administration to rats” in the laboratory of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics at the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology of NKUA under the supervision of Professor Georgia Valsami. She presented her undergraduate thesis at the 18th Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Congress. During her undergraduate studies in 2016, she received NSRF (ESPA) funding to conduct a 3-month summer internship at the Quality Assurance Department of the pharmaceutical company Pharmathen. She has also conducted a 3-month internship at the Pharmacology and Pharmacotechnology lab of the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA). Eleni joined in September 2017 the Master's Degree Program in Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School of NKUA and BSRC "Alexander Fleming" and graduated in July 2019.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Vangelis Andreakos, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Prof. Vassilis Gorgoulis, Medical School - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Prof. Vassilis Gorgoulis, Medical School - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
● Regulatory Affairs Associate — Win Medica Pharmaceutical SA
Marilena Katsa graduated from the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece in 2016. Her undergraduate thesis titled ‘’Genomic meta-analysis οn breeds of Canis lupus familiaris species at mitochondrial DNA level’’ was completed in the laboratory of Genetics, Evolution, Molecular Basis of Genetic Diseases at the University of Thessaly under the supervision of Professor Zisis Mamouris. After her graduation, she conducted a 9-month Erasmus Internship (2016-2017) entitled “Identification of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders’’ at the laboratory of Genetics of the Radboud University Medical Center (UMC) in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Marilena joined in September 2017 the MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and BSRC "Alexander Fleming", from which she graduated in June 2019.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Dimitris Kontoyiannis, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Maria Tsoumakidou, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Prof. George Kollias, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
Effrosyni Koronaiou obtained her BSc Diploma from the faculty of Pharmacy at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in 2017. Her dissertation thesis was conducted under the supervision of Professor N. Fokialakis, at the department of Pharmacognosy and Natural product Chemistry, where she studied the secondary metabolites of the extracellular secretions of the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus. She has been a summer intern in Givaudan, a biotechnological company in France. She enrolled then, in September 2017, in the MSc Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and BSRC "Alexander Fleming", from which she graduated in December 2019. Effrosyni main fields of interest are Neurodegenerative diseases and Inflammation.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Leonidas Stefanis, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Panagiotis Politis, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Leonidas Stefanis, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Aigli-Ioanna (Elina) Legaki obtained her BSc degree in Biology from the University of Patras in 2017. Her past research experience included a year and a half spent in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology at the Department of Pharmacy of the University of Patras, where she had completed her Dissertation on the genetic basis of celiac disease. She also had the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in applying immunology techniques at the Laboratory of Cellular Immunology of the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA). Furthermore, she worked as a Research Assistant at the Department of Pathology at the College of Medicine & Health Sciences of the United Arab Emirates University and at the Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Immunology at the Hellenic Pasteur Institute. Elina joined in September 2017 the MSc course in Molecular Biomedicine of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens - Medical School and BSRC "Alexander Fleming". She graduated from the MSc in July 2019.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Vasiliki Kostourou, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Panayotis Verginis, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Panayotis Verginis, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● PhD student — Department of Physiology, Medical School - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (Prof. Antonios Chatzigeorgiou Lab), Athens, Greece
Eirini Anastasia Monogiou was born in Athens, Greece. She received her Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Crete and her diploma thesis was performed at the Biosensors Laboratory (Forth IMBB, Gizeli Lab). She focused on the Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification method and the acoustic detection of Plasmodium falciparum in blood via smartphone. Her research interests are focused on molecular diagnostics and the development of point-of-care systems, applied in healthcare. Eirini enrolled in the Master program in Molecular Biomedicine at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens - Medical School, in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming" Institute. She graduated from the MSc in July 2019.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Maria Tsoumakidou, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Maria Fousteri, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Maria Fousteri, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● Scientific Associate — Intelligencia.ai, Athens, Greece
Dimitrios Nikolakis was born in Ioannina. He received his Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy (Honors) from the Department of Pharmacy of the University of Patras in July 2017. He completed his graduate thesis entitled: "The Role of C-Type Natriuretic Peptide in Vascular inflammation" under the supervision of Professor Stavros Topouzis, in the laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology at the Department of Pharmacy of the University of Patras. In September 2017, he joined the Master's Degree Program in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and BSRC "Alexander Fleming". He gratuated from the MSc in June 2019.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Prof. Dimitrios Boumpas, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Prof. George Kollias, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Prof. George Kollias, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● PhD Student (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, ARCAID project, Horizon 2020) — Amsterdam UMC, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology - Experimental Immunology / Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tytgat Institute, University of Amsterdam (UvA) (Prof. Geert D'Haens), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Panagiota (Penny) Ntavelou obtained her BSc degree in Biology in 2017 at the University of Patras, Greece. Her undergraduate thesis was conducted at the Biological Chemistry Laboratory, Medical School of Patras, under the supervision of Professor Constantinos Stathopoulos and was entitled “Biochemical and imaging studies of human Ribonuclease Z”. She performed a 5-month Erasmus+ internship at the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU) in The Netherlands, in the Experimental Cardiology Laboratory, to work in the field of Molecular Cardiology and Regenerative Medicine. She also had a 2-month practical training in the Biochemistry Laboratory of the General University Hospital of Patras. In September 2017, she undertook the MSc course in Molecular Biomedicine at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens - Medical School and BSRC "Alexander Fleming" and graduated from the MSc in September 2019.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Maya Roubelakis, Medical School - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Apostolos Klinakis, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Apostolos Klinakis, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● PhD student — Cellular Regulatory Networks Lab (Dr. Olivier Pardo Lab), Department of Surgery and Cancer, Division of Cancer, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
Anna Stanelou received her Bachelor’s degree from the Biology Department at the University of Patras, Greece, in 2016. During her undergraduate studies, she developed a special interest in Cognitive Neuroscience, an area that also formed the focus of her dissertation thesis with title “Study of the NMDA-Glutamate Receptor, on the Prefrontal Cortex of the Rat’s brain, after acute administration of Cannabinoids”. The thesis was performed at the Laboratory of Human & Animal Physiology, University of Patras, under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Panagiotis Giompres. She has also participated in the Erasmus+ program and completed her 3-month Trainee-ship at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon, Portugal, under the supervision of Asst. Prof. Ana Luisa Raposo. She joined in September 2017 the MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming" Institute. Anna graduated from the MSc in November 2019.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Efthimios Skoulakis, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Mihalis Verykokakis, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Efthimios Skoulakis, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● Clinical Research Associate — PHARMASSIST (CRO) LTD, Athens, Greece
Elli-Anna Stylianaki received her Bachelor's degree from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace in 2017. Her undergraduate thesis was performed in the Laboratory of Medical Biology, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace and focused on the genetic basis of Psoriasis Vulgaris. Then, Elli-Anna pursued her Master's degree studies by joining in September 2017 the MSc Program in Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School - National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in collaboration with BSRC "Alexander Fleming", Vari. She graduated from the MSc in October 2020.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Vassilis Aidinis, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Pantelis Hatzis, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Vassilis Aidinis, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming"
● PhD student — Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", Institute for Bioinnovation (Dr. Vassilis Aidinis Lab), Vari, Greece
Athina Varveri was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She graduated from the Biology Department at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in 2016. During her undergraduate studies, she undertook a 3-month internship in the Laboratory of Immunochemistry in NSCR “Demokritos”. Her undergraduate thesis, conducted under the supervision of Kleoniki Lamnissou, was titled “Research of possible association between micro-RNA polymorphisms and recurrent spontaneous abortions”. In September 2017, Athina joined the MSc Program in Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School of NKUA in collaboration with the BSRC “Alexander Fleming” Institute. She graduated from the MSc in July 2019.
● First Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Panyotis Verginis, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens
● Second Rotation Supervisor: Dr. Maya Roubelakis, Medical School - National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
● MSc Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Panyotis Verginis, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens