Ilias Gkikas
Postdoctoral researcher, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (IMBB-FORTH)
Spoorthy Gowda
PhD student , Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences
I'm a PhD student currently studying aging with repurposed drugs. My model organism of interest is C. elegans.
I am deep-diving into topics of proteostasis, aging and drug repurposing.
Connect with me to explore more of these topics.
Multi-talented Technology Transfer Professional with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Strong program and project management skills with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree focused on Molecular Biology-Genetics & Biotechnology. Skilled in scientific article writing, project management, intellectual property rights protection, university-industry collaborations, and commercialization of latest inventions. Always keen to learn, hungry for knowledge of the latest developments in biotechnology and motivated to learn, grow, and excel in Research & Development.
My research interests focus on the roles mitochondria play in aspects of eukaryotic life, ranging from their origin, metabolism, biogenesis and role they play in cell death pathways. These are interrogated using biochemical, molecular biology, genetic and cell biology techniques. I incorporate these interests into classes I teach to provide an understanding of practical techniques and also the current literature in the field. I studied biochemistry at the University of Leeds, with an industrial placement at Astra Charnwood, followed by a PhD at the University of Bristol, supervised by Professor Andrew Halestrap, to characterise the molecular composition of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, with support from MitoKor. My post-doctoral training on the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis supervised by Dr Doug Green was at the La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology in San Diego, California and St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. I then was an associate research scientist working in the laboratory of Professor Alexander Tzagoloff at Columbia University in New York to study biogenesis of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase in budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. I held independent positions as assistant professor at the New York Institute of Technology in New York and Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent where I continued my research and taught subjects related to biochemistry, cell biology, genetics and molecular biology. I am now a senior lecturer in biotechnology at Liverpool John Moores University. I am a strong supporter of scientific communications and outreach to disseminate scientific developments and knowledge to a broader audience with the goal of increasing the general support of the scientific process. I also direct Biomed News, a free biomedical research literature discovery platform that uses machine learning.
With a solid foundation in molecular biology and bioinformatics, I am keen to integrate laboratory skills with advanced data analysis techniques. My primary interests lie in genomics and proteomics, and I have expertise in molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, toxicology analysis, and ADMET analysis. My career goal is to bridge the gap between experimental research and data analysis, contributing to the advancement of scientific research.
I am a Professor of Toxicology, Biochemistry and Cell Signaling at Université Paris Cité (former Université Paris Descartes). I have completed my PhD in molecular toxicology and a post-graduate year in Bethesda, MD. I am the head of a Master degrees in toxicology and ecotoxicology. My research is based on cellular and animal models and on three main axes: 1) the influence of persistent organic pollutants on breast tumorigenesis and metabolic disruption, 2) the contextual role of pollutants in the occurrence of chronic liver diseases including steatosis and fibrosis, 3) the effect of mixtures on the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. I am involved in the development of innovative pedagogy methods and technics in order to improve transmission, acquisition, memorization and utilization of scientific knowledge by our biomedical students. I used flipped classrooms, quizzes (at home and during courses) and virtual reality to interact and immerge with students in and outside the classroom. Indeed, I developed with pedagogic engineers, 1) Home-based 45’’ Quizzes to engage students in regular learning modes and 2) serious games on cell signaling and xenobiotic stress. Together, with Etienne Blanc, Caroline Chauvet and Frédéric Dardel, I wrote several French books of biochemistry and toxicology topics for undergraduate students. I collaborate with several national and international institutes and universities (CNAM Thierry KOSCIELNIAK, Université de Strasbourg Jean-Luc SOUCIET, National University of Singapore, Fun Man FUNG...) for the development of innovative methods in teaching.
I am a Junior Researcher at CINTESIS (Universidade do Algarve, Portugal).
Research Interests | I use Computational Biology as a way of answering biologically relevant questions. My research interests are focused on understanding how gene expression profiles translate into robust genetic modules that explain the phenotypic plasticity observed in healthy and diseased cells, particularly cancer. I am passionate about Open Science and I am always keen on establishing new collaborations.
Current Project | I am starting my independent research line studying cancer causality using Structural Causal Models.
Previous Research | I have experience with OMICs datasets, which I have used to study breast cancer, genetic regulation in early vertebrate embryo development, in stem cell differentiation, and in mitochondrial evolution.
Teaching | I teach Computational Biology at the Universidade do Algarve, and I organize yearly courses on R programming.
Expertise | Cancer genetics, Molecular oncology, R programming (including package development), OMICS data analysis.
IFBA certified professional in BRM, interested in Biosafety, Biosecurity and Bioethics, Research, Molecular Biology, Biostatistics, Autoimmune Diseases, Biotechnology, Molecular Biology