Lab Head
Every academic & scientist should have a mission to inspire students, motivate trainees, support mentors and challenge peers. |
Dr Nikolas Dietis, BSc, BSc(Hons), MRes, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Cyprus He has received four research awards, including the Best Paper Award at the prestigious GLOBECOM 2020 Congress for his contributory work on the role of growing bio-nanomachine networks in glioblastoma evolution and progression. Dr Dietis' has completed all his basic training in the UK (BSc Pharmacology; University of Portsmouth, BSc Neuropharmacology; Nottingham Trent University, MRes Applied Biosciences/Neuropharmacology; Nottingham Trent University) and earned his PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Leicester for his research in the pharmacology of novel bifunctional opioids as potential analgesic drugs against cancer pain. Before joining UCY in 2015, he worked as a Lecturer in Pharmacological Sciences at the University of Tasmania (Australia), researching the links between opioid pharmacology in rodent models of chronic pain and depression..His current research interests revolve around drug discovery & repurposing using target-based and disease-oriented high-throughput screenings against cellular and behavioural assays for cancer & neurological diseases.
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Dr Dietis is a Registered Expert at the European Commission in the field of Pharmacology (Reg: EX2022D543045), a certified Research Evaluator of the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation in Greece (Reg: 17609, ID: 68268), an appointed Examiner of the Cyprus State Scholarship Foundation (ID: I.K.Y.K.1.1.04.1/V), an appointed Independent Evaluator at the Council of Recognition of Higher Qualifications (KYSATS; ID: 7.9.05.14) and a registered Speaker at the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) alliance.
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Dr Dietis has and has been a strong advocate for innovation in Medical Education. He has received 3 Teaching Excellence Awards from the University of Tasmania, he is a certified Quality Reviewer of Online Courses by the Quality Matters in USA and a member of the Technology Enhanced Learning Special Interest Group at the prestigious Association for the Study of Medical Education.
At UCY, Dr Dietis teaches Pharmacology at the undergraduate MD program and Pharmacogenomics at the Masters in Precision Medicine program, He has been a member of the UCY Center for Teaching & Learning for 6 years and is currently serving as a member of the Medical School's Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement Committee, and a member of the UCY Quality Assurance Committee. |
In 2016, Dr Dietis founded the Experimental Pharmacology Laboratory at the UCY Medical School as the first pharmacology research laboratory in Cyprus, with the aim to focus on drug repurposing. Under the umbrella of the Lab's activities, in 2018 he founded the first Zebrafish laboratory in Cyprus, with the aim to apply toxicological, behavioural and translational assays of drug profiling & phenotyping against human disease models. The zebrafish facility at the Experimental Pharmacology Laboratory is currently focusing on zebrafish cancer models using cell-line and patient-derived (avatars) xenografts for the study of cancer pharmacotherapeutics, drug delivery and drug profiling in a variety of cancer types, with a major focus on glioblastoma (brain cancer).
Current Lab Members (2024-2025)
panagiotou.savvas(at)ucy.ac.cy
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Savvas Panagiotou, MBA
Lab Manager - Technical Engineer, UCY Medical School Savvas is a Technical Engineer specialized in Medical Devices and joined the UCY Medical School as a Laboratory Manager. He completed his undergraduate studies with a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Department of Medical Instruments Technology at the Technological Educational Institution of Athens. His specialization in medical instruments technology has provided him with deep knowledge on the technical optimization and validation of biomedical laboratory equipment. Savvas has also completed a Masters program in Business Administration at the Open University of Cyprus in 2023, which in combination with his specialization background has provided him with strong knowledge and skills in managing laboratories from the ground up. Savvas is also a Registered Medical Representative Member of the Cyprus Medical Representative Council; evidence of his strong communication and interpersonal skills.
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agathangelou.kyriacos(at)ucy.ac.cy
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Dr Kyriacos Agathangelou, PhD
Post-Doctoral Scientist, UCY Medical School Dr Agathangelou completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Thessaly (BSc Biochemistry & Biotechnology) and his postgraduate studies with a scholarship by the Leventis Foundation at the University of Cyprus (MSc Molecular Biology), before spending a period of additional training at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics and King's College London. He then completed his PhD at the University of Crete (Greece) and the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (IMBB-FORTH; Marie Curie Fellow scholarship) working on the functional role of nucleotide excision repair in transcription-associated DNA damage in mammals
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(ERC Consolidator grant project DeFiNER). Kyriacos has worked as a post-doctoral scientist at EPOS-Iasis Research & Development Ltd, under the guidance of Dr Andreani Odysseos, mainly on the HORIZON project "GLADIATOR" entitled "Next generation theranostics of brain pathologies with autonomous externally controllable nanonetworks: A trans-disciplinary approach with bio- nanodevice interface". Kyriakos has also a considerable teaching experience, working at the European University of Cyprus, teaching a number of modules, including Molecular Biology, Introduction to Human Biology, Cellular Biology, Biochemistry, and Nutrition & Metabolism. Kyriakos holds a FELASA certification from the ERASMUS Intensive Programme “Care and Use of Laboratory Animals: Science, Philosophy and Society”.
nikouli.sofia(at)ucy.ac.cy
hadjisavva.rania(at)cy.ac.cy |
Dr Rania Hadjisavva, PhD & Dr Sofia Nikouli, PhD
Post-Doctoral Researchers at BiobankCY Dr Hadjisavva and Dr Nikouli joined the BiobankCY under a forming collaboration with our zebrafish lab in 2022. They are both experienced researchers in genomics and molecular biology. Dr Rania Hadjisavva holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Cyprus and 9 years of research experience in molecular biology and advanced bioimaging modalities and optogenetic techniques. Skilled in Xenopus laevis experimental model and holds a FELASA-recognized certificate by IZMC for zebrafish use in research. Dr Sofia Nikouli is an experienced molecular biologist on cardiac stem cells and stem cell-based therapies for cardiovascular diseases. She holds a PhD in Molecular Medicine from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. She has strong experience with various molecular techniques like flow cytometry and gene editing. Their current research in the zebrafish lab
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focuses on using zebrafish to validate the pathogenicity of suspected VUS in Cypriot patients with cardiomyopathies and kidney disease. Their aim is to develop transgenic zebrafish with human mutations via CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to study potential pathogenic effects and mechanisms for targeted therapies.
flourou.christina(at)auth.gr
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Christina Flourou, MD
PhD student - University of Athens Christina is a Special Pathologist (Internal Medicine) at the Nicosia General Hospital. She has graduated from the Aristotle University Medical School (Greece) and completed her Internal Medicine specialization in 2022. She has also completed an MSc at Clinical & Industrial Pharmacology - Clinical Toxicology at Aristotle University. Christina has a particular interest in hepatology, having been trained in lipidology by the Greek Society of Lipidology, Atherosclerosis and Vascular Disease, having completed the Training School of Hepatology in 2021 and being an active member of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). Christina's doctorate work is focusing on the establishment of a MAFLD model in zebrafish, aiming to study the pharmacological efficacy of various drugs against liver disease, as well as the pathological and pharmacological relationship of neurodegeneration with liver disease.
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schallou(at)auth.gr
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Sofia Challouma
MSc student, Aristotle University Sofia has graduated with a BSc in Chemistry from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) in 2015 and holds a postgraduate diploma in the Didactics of Biosciences by the Democritus University of Thrace, Greece. She is currently an MSc student Clinical and Industrial Pharmacology - Clinical Toxicology at Aristotle University and is completing her thesis research project in our lab, working on the toxicological profiling of cardiovascular drugs in zebrafish larvae, with Dr Dietis as her primary supervisor and Dr Eleni Gkika from AUTH as a complimentary supervisor.
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apostolou.styliani(at)ucy.ac.cy
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Stella Apostolou
MSc student, UCY Medical School Stella Apostolou
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kitiri.mikaella(at)ucy.ac.cy
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Mikaella Kitiri
Research Associate, MD student, UCY Medical School Ms Kitiri is an MD student at the UCY Medical School (Year 5). She has been an MD Intern in our Lab between 2020-2022. She is now a research associate of the lab, working on a project funded by the University of Cyprus, regarding the role of opiorphin in cancer pain. Through her involvement in the establishment of the project, she founded a company which received the "Business Idea Award" at the Cyprus Entrepreneurship Competition of the 7th Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum, received the "Rectors’ Honorary Award" at the Business & Entrepreneurship Competition, Student Innovators 2022 organized by the Center for Entrepreneurship of the University of Cyprus and was advocated at the Beyond Pre-Accelerator Program of the Junior Achievements Cyprus.
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koupepia.ioanna(at)ucy.ac.cy
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Ioanna Koupepia
BSc student - Department of Biology UCY Ioanna is a final year BSc student at the Department of Biology at UCY. She joined our Lab in 2024 for her final-year thesis, working on the establishment of an orthotopic model of zebrafish cancer xenografts of glioblastoma (brain cancer). She is working closely with Kyriakos Agathangelou as a team to produce, chraracterize, optimize and validate the orthotopic model of glioblastoma in zebrafish, in order to pharmacologically-characterize the efficacy of anticancer drugs such as temozolamide.
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mjbooij(at)st.noorderpoort.nl
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Mellanie Booij
Erasmus student - Physical/Chemical Analyst, We expect Mellanie to join the Lab as an Erasmus/trainee student in 2025!
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Gianna Koumourou
(UCY MD Intern, 3rd year student) 
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Maria Phiniotou
(UCY MD Intern, 3rd year student) 
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Marios Agathangelou
(UCY MD Intern, 3nd year student) 
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Stavros Stavrou
Taisia Balabanidou Georgia Zinonos (UCY MD Interns, 2nd year students) 
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Alexandra Sirimi
Chrysovalanto Fotiou Majdoleen Abuhajar (UCY MD Interns, 2nd year students) 
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Aikaterini Chortarea
Ivi Maria Antoniou Anastasia Nearchou Giorgos Christoforou Spyros Shikki Antrea Christodoulou Georgia Iosif (UCY MD Interns, 1st year students)
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Lab Alumni
Ms Maria Glytsi (BSc Biology graduate 2024)
Ms Nefeli Kourouna (BSc Biology graduate 2024)
Ms Maria Kouma (MSc graduate 2024)
Ms Charalambia Lazarou (BSc Biology graduate 2022)
Ms Maria Panayiotou (BSc Biology graduate 2022)
Ms Despoina Vangeli (MSc graduate 2021)
Dr Marios Markoulides (Visiting Scientist - Post Doc 2019-2021)
Ms Chrystalla Pavlou (Lab Manager - Research Assistant 2019-2020)
Dr Marina Demetriades (Research Associate 2018-2019)
Ms Nefeli Kourouna (BSc Biology graduate 2024)
Ms Maria Kouma (MSc graduate 2024)
Ms Charalambia Lazarou (BSc Biology graduate 2022)
Ms Maria Panayiotou (BSc Biology graduate 2022)
Ms Despoina Vangeli (MSc graduate 2021)
Dr Marios Markoulides (Visiting Scientist - Post Doc 2019-2021)
Ms Chrystalla Pavlou (Lab Manager - Research Assistant 2019-2020)
Dr Marina Demetriades (Research Associate 2018-2019)
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Michael Spyrou (MD Intern 2022-2024)
Konstantinos Michaelides (MD Intern 2023-2024) Maria Roussia (MD Intern 2021-2023) Giannis Agrimanakis (MD Intern 2021-2023) Xeni Kosofidou (MD Intern 2021-2023) Natalia Anastasiou (MD Intern 2021-2023) Marianna Vitali (MD Intern 2021-2023) Jumana El Bakri (MD Intern 2021-2023) Adamos Theodorou (MD Intern 2021-2023) Andriana Hadjigianni (MD Intern 2022-2023) Michael Temvriotis (MD Intern 2022-2023) Christos Mastis (MD Intern 2022-2023) Vasiliki Tzalili (MD Intern 2022-2023) Stella Gkountinaki (MD Intern 2022-2023) Konstantinos Mihaelides (MD Intern 2022-2023) Effrosyni Lambrou (MD Intern 2022-2023) Orestis Germanos (MD Intern 2020-2022) Irene Filippou (MD Intern 2020-2022) Mikaella Chrysostomou (MD Intern 2020-2022) Mikaella Kitiri (MD Intern 2020-2022) |
Christina Pasiouli (MD Intern 2019-2021)
Vasiliki Vasileiou (MD Intern 2019-2021) Marina Evangellou (MD Intern 2019-2021) Sofia Philippou (MD Intern 2019-2021) Charalambos Apostolopoulos (MD Intern 2019-2021) Stephani Hadjievagorou (MD Intern 2019-2021) Petros Pieri (MD Intern 2019-2021) Stephanos Hilides (MD Intern 2019-2021) Konstantinos Sykallos (MD Intern 2019-2021) Nikos Ververides (MD Intern 2018-2020) Antonis Pilavas (MD Intern 2018-2020) Egli Kosti (MD Intern 2018-2020) Melani Theodoridou (MD Intern 2018-2020) Argyris Konstantinou (MD Intern 2018-2020) Andreas Menoikou (MD Intern 2018-2020) Persefoni Panayi (MD Intern 2018-2020) Eleni Xenophontos (MD Intern 2019-2020) Chrystalla Souroupi (MD Intern 2016-2017) Alexandros Georgiou (MD Intern 2016-2017) Athina Fouli (MD Intern 2016-2017) Irene Tsappa (MD Intern 2016-2017) |