ERA Chair Holder
Georgios Skretas received his Bachelor’s degree from the School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens (Greece) in 1998 and his PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Princeton University (USA) in 2006.
He then worked as a post-doctoral research associate at the Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology of the University of Texas at Austin (USA) (2006-2009). In 2010, he received a Marie Curie International Reintegration Fellowship to return to Greece and establish his independent research group in his home country. During 2010-2022, he served as Head of the Laboratory of Enzyme and Synthetic Biotechnology and the Institute of Chemical Biology of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (Greece). Since 2022, he is the Director of the Institute for Bio-innovation at BSRC Fleming. Georgios Skretas has been awarded a Consolidator Grant by the European Research Council (ERC) (2019-2024). He is inventor on four (4) patents/patent applications. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ResQ Biotech, a spin-off company applying biotechnology approaches to advance early-stage drug discovery against diseases caused by protein misfolding.
Project coordinator
George Panayotou is currently Director and Chairman of the Board at the Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”. He studied Chemistry at the University of Athens and Biochemistry at the University of Sussex…
and carried out his doctoral studies at the National Institute for Medical Research and University College London, funded by a scholarship from the Onassis Foundation. He obtained his PhD, entitled “Studies on the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor”, in 1987. He then joined Mike Waterfield’s group at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (University College London / Middlesex Hospital Branch), where he worked until 1998, while also being a honorary lecturer at UCL. In 1999 he was elected associate investigator at BSRC “Alexander Fleming”. He served as director of the Institute of Molecular Oncology and as head of Fleming’s Scientific Committee. His main research interests have included the structure and function of growth factor receptors, lipid and protein kinases and phosphatases, characterization of modular domains (SH2, SH3, PH) and proteomic approaches in cancer research, contributing more than 130 publications in scientific journals, which have attracted over 10,000 citations. He acts as a referee for various journals and grant awarding bodies and has been involved in extensive collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotech companies. His research group has been funded by competitive EU and national grants, and he is co-inventor in two awarded US patents.
Principal Investigators
He received a B.Sc. in Biology with a Chemsitry minor from the University of Toledo (Ohio, USA) in 1983 and a PhD in Moleular Genetics from the Ohio State University (1990). He conducted postdoctoral research in Molecular Neurobiology at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (1990-1993 New York, USA) and in Behavioral Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine (1993-1997, Houston Texas). He was elected Assistant Professor of Biology at Texas A&M University (1997-2002) and he then moved to the newly established Biomedical Sciences Research Center in Vari Greece to establish and maintain a Molecular Cognitive Neurobiology Research group where he is currently a Research Professor and Director of the Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research. The long-term research goal of the Skoulakis laboratory is to define molecular mechanisms employed by neurons to receive and transduce signals essential for acquisition, storage and retrieval of information and how these are altered in cognitive and neurodegenerative diseases. A significant effort focuses on the molecular biology of habituation, an endophenotype linked to psychiatric conditions such as Schizophrenia, Attention Deficit Disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorders. His work on olfactory mechanisms has contributed to the emerging field of Quantum Biology.
George Kollias (PhD 1987) is Member of the Academy of Athens (since 2014), Professor and Director of the Department of Physiology (Medical School, UoA), and Research Professor at the BSRC “Alexander Fleming”.
His lab has pioneered genetic approaches to study the function of cytokine signalling in animal models of human diseases and is renowned for proof of principle preclinical studies that led to the development of anti-TNF therapies for Rheumatoid Arthritis and for advancing knowledge on molecular and cellular mechanisms driving chronic inflammation and autoimmunity (>45.500 citations, h-index 97 Source: Google Scholar). His laboratory is supported by several competitive grants from national and European sources, and has received Advanced Grant awards from the European Research Council (ERC) (2014 & 2022). GK coordinates the National Research Infrastructures Infrafrontier.GR/Phenotypos from BSRC Fleming, and pMedGR from the Medical School, UoA. In 2006 he founded the first CRO-biotech spin-off of BSRC Fleming, Biomedcode Hellas SA. GK is Member of the Biosciences Steering Group of the European Academies Science Advisory Panel (EASAC) since 2014 and Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) since 2000. In 2014, he was awarded the Carol-Nachman Award for Rheumatology. Since 2016, he directs the International and Transinstitutional Graduate Program in “Molecular Biomedicine” at the Medical School, UoA and the BSRC Fleming and teaches as guest lecturer in graduate seminars in many Greek and foreign Universities.
She was recently elected as Deputy Dean of the School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology at AUA and Deputy President of the Biotechnology Department at AUA. Moreover, she is elected member of the Scientific Board of the Institute for Bioinnovation of BSRC “Alexander Fleming”. She obtained her B.Sc. degree in Biology and her Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from the Biology Department of the University of Athens, trained in mouse genetic engineering through the generation and analysis of transgenic mice as models of human diseases.
Her current research interests are focused on pathogenic mechanisms involved in osteoporosis, carcinogenesis and bone metastasis through the development and analysis of transgenic mouse models expressing human RANKL, the major inducer of osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption. Following a forward genetics approach her group has also identified novel genetic causes of neurodegenerative diseases, the mitochondrial proteins DNAJC11 and SLC25A46, with critical role in mitochondrial biogenesis and central nervous system pathogenesis.
Dr Douni has a wide teaching experience related with Animal Genetics, including Animal Biotechnology, Genetics, Special Topics of Modern Genetics, Immunology, and Human Genetics. She has actively participated in national and international research grants either as coordinator or co-investigator. She has more than 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals with over 3000 citations according to Scopus, while she is regular reviewer in several scientific journals. She is member of scientific committees for a variety of conferences including European Calcified Tissue Society, Bone Marrow Adiposity Society, and Hellenic Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr Douni is co-founder of the International Bone Marrow Adiposity Society and Biomedcode Hellas SA, a spin-off company of BSRC “Alexander Fleming”.
douni@fleming.gr/douni@aua.gr
Katerina Papanikolopoulou received her Bachelor’s degree from the Chemistry Department of the Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece) in 2000 and her PhD in Structural Biology and Nanobiology from Université Joseph Fourier (France) in 2004.
She then worked as Lecturer in the Department of Materials Science and Technology at the University of Crete and as a Visiting Scientist to the laboratory of Pr. Jonathan King at MIT Boston (USA). At 2006 she received an ENTEP fellowship and started to work as a post-doctoral research associate at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the BSRC Alexander Fleming (2006-2016). In 2017, with the support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation, she established her independent research group in the Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research at BSRC Alexander Fleming. Her scientific interests were always centered on diseases of conformation, where a particular soluble innocuous protein transforms and aggregates into an insoluble fibrillar structure and Tau-linked neurodegenerative diseases is the research field to which she is committed.
Project Managers
She got her basic Degree in “Industrial Management and Technology” graduating with excellence (Certificate Degree: 9,47/10 – “Excellent”). She participated in the Postgraduate Programme in Industrial Management – Sector “Logistics” that is offered as a collaboration of the Department of Industrial Management and Technology of the University of Piraeus and the School of Chemical Engineering of the National Technical University. She graduated the Programme with excellence (MSCs Certificate Degree: 9,10/10 – “Excellent”). During the academic year 2006-2007 she got a fellowship for the participation in a long term practical post graduate seminar on “Knowledge Transfer”, offered by the University of Sunderland – National AURIL-CPD office (Open University)
Since 1996 she works at the National Hellenic research Foundation (NHRF). Until 2003 she worked as a team member of the NHRF’s Technology Transfer Office (TTO). From 2003 until the end of 2012 she worked as the Head of the TTO. In parallel, from 2009 to 2012 she was assigned as the Administrative Quality System Manager of the NHRF. Since the beginning of 2013 she is the Head of the NHRF’s Projects’ Office. From 2000 to 2005, in parallel to her main employment at the NHRF, she collaborated with a consultants’ firm (Business Logistics Services Ltd) with main tasks the consulting in Logistics and other management sectors and the coordination of training projects. Moreover, during the last 15 years she has been involved in the implementation of various projects of other organisations and companies with main task the management and the coordination of the projects.
Her involvement in the management of national and European funded project started from the beginning of her employment at the NHRF. Until the end of 2012 she was actively involved in the submission of many proposals and the implementation of more than 70 projects. She was also responsible for the coordination of the relevant scientific networks. Since the beginning of 2013, as the Head of the NHRF’s Projects’ Office, she is responsible for the managerial coordination of all the funded projects of the organisation and the support of the NHRF’s researchers in the submission of their proposals. At the same time, she continues her collaboration with other private and public bodies for the management of funded projects as well as for other relevant issues (technology transfer, scientific results dissemination etc.).
Her experience includes many European projects (FP6, FP7, H2020, Horizon Europe, interreg etc.), many national projects (EPET, EPAN, ESPA etc) and other more specialised projects (ESA, NATO, private funding etc). She is already actively involved in 9 Horizon Europe projects.
She speaks English quite fluently. She has some basic knowledge of German, Italian and Spanish.
Communication Managers
Passionate about communicating ideas and stories about science and technology, enjoys working with scholars doing cutting edge research in all areas of science, from the natural and physical sciences to engineering and even some of the social sciences. She holds a PhD in International relations with a “Stavros Niarchos Foundation scholarship”, MA on Policy Management & International Politics, a Biology degree and a module certification of Video/Multimedia, Data and Investigative journalism from the School of Journalism-Columbia University with a “Stavros Niarchos Foundation scholarship”. She teaches science journalism at the university, while trains scientists on “science communication”. Her book on 40 top scientists over the world: “The Bright Minds have no Homeland” is unique in popularized science in Greece, while her second e-book entitled: “Ingenious adventures” on Nobel Laureates was published in 2019. Her last “Handbook on Science Journalism” is the first and unique in Greek literature.
She was awarded as the “Greek Female Journalist of the year 2018” from the VOTRE BEAUTE Magazine, as the “Greek Science Writer of the Year 2017” by the Association of British Science Writers while she was nominated for the “European Science Writer of the Year 2017”.
She is a member of many Greek and foreign associations of science journalists, as well as the only Greek Board member of the International Science Writers Association (iswa). She is an expert on Media Advocacy and she was recently included in the list with science communication experts of the European Parliament
Maria Chatzidaki holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and pursued further studies in Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London.
In 2016, she completed her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Örebro, Sweden in collaboration with the National Hellenic Research Foundation. She is an experienced scientist in nanotechnology and bioactive delivery. She is also the co-founder of www.beconscious.gr, a website dedicated to making environmental science and biology accessible to all.
Strategic Planning
Politi
Junior Researchers and Personnel
Gialama
She holds a PhD in Microbial Biotechnology from National Technical University of Athens and National Hellenic Research Foundation (2017).
Currently, Dimitra works as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”. Her research revolves around the discovery of novel inhibitors of microbial functional amyloids. Previously, Dimitra worked as a Research Associate at the Departments of Chemical Engineering from 2018-2019 and the Department of Chemistry from 2020-2022 at Imperial College London. She worked as a Research Scientist at UCB in London, UK, in 2022 and at the Greek S.M.E. Cleanway S.A. from 2016-2018.
Brotzakis
Vasilopoulou
Konia
Katerina
Rizou Katerina is currently a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Georgios Skretas at BSRC Alexander Fleming.
She has graduated from the Department of Biology and has earned Master’s degree in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her research interests focus on the study of amyloidogenic proteins associated with protein misfolding diseases. She is currently working on the construction of genetically engineered bacterial strains to investigate potential inhibitors against protein misfolding and aggregation.
Aslanoglou
Anastasia Kotsoni is currently a Technician at Dr. Skretas laboratory at the Biochemical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”.
She studied Biochemistry at the University of Dundee in Scotland and did a postgraduate diploma in Oncology at the University of Nottingham. She has been working as a Research Assistant firstly at Babraham Institute in Cambridge (U.K.) and later on at the University of Athens and at B.S.R.C. “Alexander Fl eming” in Vari.
Krikoni
Parnassa
Filis
Karyda
Zarafeta
Dimitra’s research revolves around exploring metagenomic data through high-throughput screening methods to uncover novel enzymes with potential biotechnological applications. Her work extends to the development of tools for monitoring the protein folding of soluble proteins and engineering bacterial strains for the industrial production of biotherapeutic proteins.
Michoglou
Currently, Aris works as a Research Assistant at the Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”, where his primary focus is on identifying molecules with potential pharmaceutical efficacy against various targets associated with amyloidosis.
Previously, Aris conducted research on biofuel production from photosynthetic microorganisms; part of his work was at Martin-Luther Universität, Halle (Saale) under the guidance of Professor Udo Johanningmeier.
Ringa
Erpapazoglou
Konstantinos
Chroumpi
In 2022, she earned her PhD in Molecular Microbiology and Physiology from
Utrecht University (Netherlands), where her research focused on unraveling the genetic complexity and redundancy of sugar metabolism in Aspergillus niger.
In early 2024, Tania was awarded an ERA fellowship under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship program. Her current research aims to engineer microbes as platforms for
discovering chemical rescuers of disease related misfolding in integral membrane proteins (https://promisme.org).
Previously, she worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the National Hellenic Research Foundation (Greece) from 2022 to 2024, and as a Strain Development Scientist at Photanol B.V., a biotechnology company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from 2014 to 2017.
Lemonis