Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria
I am a biologist with academic experience in molecular biology, behavioral research, and disease-related biological mechanisms. I completed my B.Sc. in Biology and M.Sc. in the Molecular Basis of Human Diseases program at the University of Crete, where I worked on the effects of working-memory training on anxiety behavior in mice and investigated the neurogenic role of the p75 neurotrophin receptor in vivo. I am now a PhD Candidate in the field of neuroscience in the Medical University of Innsbruck in Tyrol, Austria, investigating the role of miRNAs in nerve regeneration after peripheral nerve injury. I am excited to connect with fellow scientists and exchange ideas!
“In vivo study of the p75 neurotrophin receptor’s neurogenic role.” • DNA isolation from mice tails & PCR for genotyping • Injections with BrdU in p75NTR KO, wild-type, 5xFAD, APP/KO, floxed/Nestin-Cre+ mice • Perfusion and brain dissection of the mice that were injected with BrdU & Coronal cryosections of the hippocampus of these mice • Immunofluorescent staining in hippocampal slides of injected mice with BrdU and Sox2 antibodies & Observation of these slides with the Confocal Fluorescent microscope • Measurement of proteins with BCA assay & Western blot to measure the levels of total and phosphorylated JNK in induced pluripotent stem cells (human iPSCs) derived NSCs treated with a synthetic compound of DHEA • Cell culture of HEK cell line transfected with p75, TRAF6, RIP2 plasmids & Treatment of these cells with a synthetic compound of DHEA • Immunoprecipitation assay in the lysates of transfected-treated HEK cells for p75NTR & Western blot to analyze the expression of p75, TRAF6, RIP2, and total and phosphorylated JNK in the transfected-treated HEK cells Neuropharmacology / Regenerative pharmacology Laboratory
“Study of the regulation of p75NTR by synthetic compounds and defining its expression in Neural Stem Cells”. • Study of the effects of a synthetic compound of DHEA (small molecule that stimulates cell death caused by p75NTR) treatment in cell cultures of neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from the hippocampus of p7 wild-type mice (CellTox Assay) • Measurement of proteins with BCA assay and Western blot to measure the levels of total and phosphorylated JNK in induced pluripotent stem cells (human iPSCs) derived NSCs treated with a synthetic compound of DHEA • Lysis for protein isolation from different brain regions of p75NTR KO and wild-type mice and Western Blot analysis for the p75NTR’s expression • DNA isolation from mice tails and PCR for genotyping • Immunofluorescent staining trials in hippocampal and basal forebrain slides of p75NTR KO and wild-type mice with different p75NTR antibodies Neuropharmacology / Regenerative pharmacology Laboratory
“Identifying pathogenic mutations in the TTR gene in patients with transthyretin-associated amyloidosis (hATTR)”. • PCR on DNA fragments isolated from human blood samples in order to identify mutations in 4 different exons of the TTR gene • Cleaning of PCR products with a specific kit and measurement of the quantity and quality of the “clean” products by using Nanodrop • Shipment of clean products for Sanger sequencing and sequencing analysis via BLAST Neurology Laboratory
“Effects of working memory training in anxiety in female mice.” • Familiarization of the muscles with the experimenter (handling) and with the experiment site (habituation) • Delayed alternation task (DAT) in the T maze apparatus for the practice of the working memory • Open Field Test (OFT) to study anxiety • Light-dark room (LD) test also for the study of anxiety Neurophysiology & Behavior Laboratory
“Stress effects in male mice through object recognition task.” • Behavioral experiments: Familiarization of the mice with the experimenter (handling) and with the place of the experiment (habituation), Light/dark room test, Object to place recognition task • Brain dissection after the instantaneous euthanization of mice immediately after the conduction of the experiments • DNA isolation from mice tails (genotyping) • Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) on DNA fragments isolated from mice tails Neurophysiology & Behavior Laboratory