Biography
I am an assistant professor at the Department of Neurosciences of the University of New Mexico School Medicine and a leading expert on the emerging field of circular RNAs (circRNAs), examining their role in brain development, function, and disease. I was previously a postdoctoral fellow at the Picower Institute of Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I studied the role of non-coding RNAs in brain plasticity and neurodevelopmental disorders. I have a PhD in Neurosciences from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UMass Medical School with a focus on the role of miRNAs in the post-transcriptional control of gene expression in brain development and psychiatric disorders. My lab's ongoing and future research is aimed in using cutting edge circRNA manipulation and detection approaches for elucidating the role of circRNAs in the control of molecular networks related to brain development and function and for examining their importance for psychiatric (bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) and neurological disorders (Alzheimer’s disease). We are also working in parallel in using circRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis and better treatment of depression and post-traumatic stress disorders and on examining their relevance for circadian rhythmicity and sleep. Lastly, we are involved in numerous collaborations with leading institutions that are aimed at better understanding the importance of circRNAs in brain plasticity and addiction and on developing cutting edge tools for manipulating circRNA expression.
Areas of Specialty
CircRNAs
Noncoding cRNAs
Brain plasticity
Neuropsychiatric disorders
Education
Phd, Neuroscience (2009):
University of Massachusetts School of Medicine
Worcester, MA
MD (2002):
University of Athens School of Medicine
Athens, Greece
Achievements & Awards
Member of the executive committee and Seminar Program Director of the NIH-funded Autophagy, Inflammation, and Metabolism (AIM) Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) -2020Invited speaker at TEDex ABQ. Use of circRNA biomarkers for the better diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders (Albuquerque, NM) - 2019RNA therapeutics conference travel award and invitation for oral presentation (Worcester, MA) - 2018Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator award (New York, USA) - 2017Founding member of the newly appointed Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) Junior Researcher Group (New York, USA) - 2013G. Papanikolaou award for best publication - Department of Scholarships and awards - University of Athens (Athens, Greece) - 2012Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellowship - National Eye Institute of National Institute of Health (Bethesda, Maryland, USA) - 2009-2012Roche- Nature Medicine 1st Translational Neuroscience Symposium travel award and invitation for poster presentation (Palo Alto, CA. USA) - 2006Fulbright Scholarship nomination - Fulbright Foundation (Athens, Greece) - 2004A. Papadakis Scholarship for undergraduate studies in the University of Athens (following exams) - Department of Scholarships and awards - University of Athens (Athens, Greece) -1996-2002
Gender
Male
Courses Taught
Introduction to Neurobiology (509)
Molecular Neurobiology (539)
Neuroblock (Headaches and Neuropathology)
Clinical Reasoning
Research and Scholarship
Research in my laboratory focuses on the role of novel non-coding RNAs, such as circular RNAs, in brain development and function and their relevance for psychiatric and neurological disorders. We utilize an array of cutting-edge techniques in conjunction with multiple disease models to elucidate the unexplored mechanisms of non-coding RNAs in the developing and adult brain with the long-term goal of discovering novel herapeutics and diagnostics for brain disorders.