PI-Invest Cont Ramon y Cajal
(9635) 44665
69 558 41 51
My research expertise spans Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Cancer Research, Molecular Diagnostics, and Genomics. I hold a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Crete and an MSc in Biology from the Foundation for Research and Technology – Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (FORTH IMBB). I completed my PhD in Molecular Developmental Biology under the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program (University of Stuttgart, CNR, CNRS).
Postdoctoral Research
- Paris, France: Four years of cancer signaling research at INSERM and St. Louis Hospital, focusing on the TP53 tumor suppressor pathway, which yielded significant insights into mechanisms regulating cell cycle control, apoptosis, and oncogenesis.
- Athens, Greece: Four years as Scientific R&D Director at a biotech firm, where I developed innovative molecular clinical diagnostics services, including CE-IVD certified pharmacogenomic (PGx) panels advancing personalized medicine in the frame of translational research.
- Barcelona, Spain: Three years on functional genomics and structural variants with long-read Nanopore sequencing as a Maria Zambrano fellow at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the Hospital del Mar Research Center (IMIM) at PRBB, contributing to understanding genome architecture and variation.
Current Position: Valencia
Since May 2025, I have been leading a research group at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Valencia. My primary research focuses on the cellular and structural interactions involved in DNA damage sensing and the DNA damage response signaling pathways in cancer. A key aspect of my focus is the role of the p53 tumor suppressor employed as a model to investigate gain-of-function mutations in human cancer. Additionally, the group explores the evolutionary conservation of p53 functions across species, from invertebrates to mammals, to better understand its roles in development and tumor suppression. Currently active collaborations include laboratories within the faculty as well as across Europe, encompassing Spain (PRBB), France (INSERM), the United Kingdom (Oxford University), the Czech Republic (Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute), Sweden (University of Umeå), and Greece (NHRF).
Keywords: double-stranded DNA brakes, apoptosis, secondary mRNA structures, ATM kinase, MRN complex, H2AX, protein interaction structural interfaces, molecular evolution and human oncogenic pathways, marine invertebrates, elephant, iPSCs, recombinant proteins, protein-protein interactions, sequencing.
Postdoctoral Research
- Paris, France: Four years of cancer signaling research at INSERM and St. Louis Hospital, focusing on the TP53 tumor suppressor pathway, which yielded significant insights into mechanisms regulating cell cycle control, apoptosis, and oncogenesis.
- Athens, Greece: Four years as Scientific R&D Director at a biotech firm, where I developed innovative molecular clinical diagnostics services, including CE-IVD certified pharmacogenomic (PGx) panels advancing personalized medicine in the frame of translational research.
- Barcelona, Spain: Three years on functional genomics and structural variants with long-read Nanopore sequencing as a Maria Zambrano fellow at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the Hospital del Mar Research Center (IMIM) at PRBB, contributing to understanding genome architecture and variation.
Current Position: Valencia
Since May 2025, I have been leading a research group at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Valencia. My primary research focuses on the cellular and structural interactions involved in DNA damage sensing and the DNA damage response signaling pathways in cancer. A key aspect of my focus is the role of the p53 tumor suppressor employed as a model to investigate gain-of-function mutations in human cancer. Additionally, the group explores the evolutionary conservation of p53 functions across species, from invertebrates to mammals, to better understand its roles in development and tumor suppression. Currently active collaborations include laboratories within the faculty as well as across Europe, encompassing Spain (PRBB), France (INSERM), the United Kingdom (Oxford University), the Czech Republic (Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute), Sweden (University of Umeå), and Greece (NHRF).
Keywords: double-stranded DNA brakes, apoptosis, secondary mRNA structures, ATM kinase, MRN complex, H2AX, protein interaction structural interfaces, molecular evolution and human oncogenic pathways, marine invertebrates, elephant, iPSCs, recombinant proteins, protein-protein interactions, sequencing.