Dimitra Tsouraki

EDUCATION

College / University

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (N.K.U.A.)

Highest Degree

Bachelor of Science

Major Subjects

Biology

Country

Greece

Lab Experience

Cell culture of human cancer cell lines, Transformation of bacterial cells, Lentivirus production through transfection of human cell lines, Mammalian cell transduction with lentiviral vectors, Use of reporter genes for monitoring cell cycle progression (FastFUCCI system), Immunohistochemistry-Immunocytochemistry, Fluorescence microscopy-Immunofluorescence, Light microscopy, Nucleic acids electrophoresis, Hematoxylin and Eosin staining, Maxi prep, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), 3´ Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (3´ RACE).

Projects / Research

2019 – 2020: Visiting student at the laboratory of Assistant Professor Christos K. Kontos, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, School of Sciences, N.K.U.A. (accepted abstract at the 45th FEBS Congress, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3-8 July 2021).
2018 – 2020: "Study of epigenetic modifications in cancer cells that are related to chemoresistance", Faculty of Biology, School of Sciences, N.K.U.A. and Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens (BRFAA).
2019: Tsouraki D. and Kontos CK. CEACAM19 (carcinoembryonic antigen related cell adhesion molecule 19). Atlas Genet Cytogenet Oncol Haematol. (2019)
2017: "The significant contribution of immunotherapy in cancer treatment-Applications and Expectations in Greece", oral presentation and abstract at the 3rd Symposium on Advances in Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, 2-4 November 2017 Athens, Greece

Scholarships / Awards

2020 – 2021:

Stipend by the International Max Planck Research School.

SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS AND GOALS

My scientific interests involve the study of epigenetic modifications and their implication in gene regulation, especially during the processes of cancer initiation and progression. I am also highly fascinated by the complex interplay of the DNA damage response and repair mechanisms along with the cell cycle checkpoint pathways that the cells employ in order to continue or stop their cycle in the presence of damage. In the future, I hope to combine these interests of mine and learn more on how epigenetic alterations affect the DNA repair machinery and other cellular processes, such as apoptosis. However, I feel that Molecular Biology is vast and I have yet a lot of different fields to discover, so I hope that my time in Göttingen will help me broaden my scientific horizons and uncover new exciting domains of biological research.