Dr. Efthalia Zervoudi, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Greece
Dr. Efthalia Zervoudi is a senior researcher at the Hellenic Pasteur Institute with a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Athens. Her research focuses on designing inhibitors targeting antigen-trimming aminopeptidases, contributing significantly to immunology and cancer biology. She has extensive experience in oncology and molecular biomarkers, having held positions at Cardiff University and University Hospital “Attikon.” Dr. Zervoudi has authored multiple influential publications and holds patents on aminopeptidase inhibitors. She has received prestigious fellowships, including the Welcome Trust ISSF fellowship, and continues to advance personalized medicine through innovative molecular diagnostic approaches.
Publication Profile
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Education
I completed my PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Athens (2012–2016) with top honors, focusing on designing inhibitors targeting antigen-trimming aminopeptidases. Before that, I earned my Master’s degree in Biochemistry from the same university (2010–2012), studying the specificity pockets of aminopeptidases involved in antigen processing. My academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Patras (2003–2008), where I researched proteoglycans in cancer patients under Prof. Dimitrios Vynios. 🎓 Prior to university, I graduated high school with a strong average score of 18.5/20, marking the start of my scientific path.
Experience
Dr. Efthalia Zervoudi is currently serving as a Senior Researcher at the Hellenic Pasteur Institute (2024–present), contributing to cutting-edge biomedical research. From 2019 to 2023, she was a Research Coordinator at the Oncology Unit of University Hospital “Attikon” in Greece. 🏥 Previously, she held a postdoctoral research position at Cardiff University’s School of Medicine (2016–2019), specializing in Infection and Immunity. 🔬 Between 2010 and 2015, she collaborated with the Protein Chemistry Lab at the National Centre for Scientific Research “DEMOKRITOS”, working on the project: “Rational design and development of inhibitors for targeting antigen-trimming aminopeptidases.”
Awards
Dr. Efthalia Zervoudi has received several prestigious fellowships and awards recognizing her impactful research. In 2020, she was awarded funding by the Hellenic Society of Oncology for her study on Endoplasmic Reticulum Associated Peptidases as tools to understand cancer. 🧪 In 2015, she received the esteemed Wellcome Trust ISSF Fellowship at Cardiff University. 🇬🇧 Earlier, in Fall 2014, the Hellenic Academy of Athens honored her with the “Axillea and Aikaterini Dionysopoulou” award for her groundbreaking work on rationally designed inhibitors enhancing antigen presentation and cytotoxic T-cell responses. 🔬🎖️ Her research continues to push scientific boundaries.
Research Focus
Dr. Efthalia Zervoudi is a leading researcher in immunology and molecular biology, with a focus on antigen processing, immune regulation, and aminopeptidase function. Her work explores how enzymes like ERAP1 and ERAP2 trim antigenic peptides for presentation by MHC class I molecules, enhancing cytotoxic T-cell responses—a crucial process in cancer immunotherapy and autoimmune disease research. 🧬 She also develops targeted inhibitors to modulate immune responses, contributing to vaccine design and tumor immunity. 🧪 Her research bridges biochemistry, structural biology, and immuno-oncology, with potential applications in personalized medicine.
Publication Top Notes
Rationally designed inhibitor targeting antigen-trimming aminopeptidases enhances antigen presentation and cytotoxic T-cell responses
Probing the S1 specificity pocket of the aminopeptidases that generate antigenic peptides
A common single nucleotide polymorphism in endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 2 induces a specificity switch that leads to altered antigen processing
Optimized peptide–MHC multimer protocols for detection and isolation of autoimmune T-cells
A role for naturally occurring alleles of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidases in tumor immunity and cancer pre-disposition
Autoimmune disease-associated variants of extracellular endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 induce altered innate immune responses by human immune cells
3, 4-diaminobenzoic acid derivatives as inhibitors of the oxytocinase subfamily of M1 aminopeptidases with immune-regulating properties
Novel selective inhibitors of aminopeptidases that generate antigenic peptides
Dual molecular mechanisms govern escape at immunodominant HLA A2-restricted HIV epitope
A common SNP in ER aminopeptidase 2 induces a specificity switch that leads to altered antigen processing
HPV16 E6 Oncogene Contributes to Cancer Immune Evasion by Regulating PD-L1 Expression through a miR-143/HIF-1a Pathway
Correction: Konstantopoulos et al. HPV16 E6 Oncogene Contributes to Cancer Immune Evasion by Regulating PD-L1 Expression through a miR-143/HIF-1a Pathway. Viruses 2024, 16, 113