Maria Aggelakopoulou PhD Postdoctoral Fellow
Maria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Democritus University in Alexandroupolis, Greece. She obtained her Ph.D from the Medical School of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, working with Dr Vily Panoutsakopoulou at the Cellular Immunology Laboratory of Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens. There, she elucidated the role of the neurosteroid dehydroepiandrosterone in the regulation of Th17 and T regulatory responses in the context of EAE. In 2012 Maria continued as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the same laboratory, investigating the role of estrogen receptor beta in the regulation of central nervous system autoimmunity and Th17 responses. In 2016 Maria joined the laboratory of Prof. Lars Fugger as a Postdoctoral Researcher where she will contribute with her experience in cellular immunology to unravel the role of GWAS associated SNPs in multiple sclerosis, in the regulation of T cell effector responses.
Education and Training
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BSc: 2001-2005, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolsi, Greece.
PhD in Cellular Immunology; 2006-2012, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Thesis title: Immune mechanisms for the regulation of central nervous system autoimmunity). Supervisor Prof Vily Panoutsakpoulou, Biomedical Research Foundation Academy of Athens, Greece.
Postdoctoral Research Associate: 2012-2016, Biomedical Research Foundation Academy of Athens, Prof. Vily Panoutsakopoulou, Athens, Greece.
Postdoctoral Research Associate: 2016-Present, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Prof. Lars Fugger, University of Oxford, UK
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Publications ​
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Osteopontin Promotes Protective Antigenic Tolerance against Experimental Allergic Airway Disease. Alissafi T., Kourepini E., Simoes D.C.M., Paschalidis N., Aggelakopoulou M., Sparwasser T., Boon L., Hammad H., Lambrecht B.N., Panoutsakopoulou V. J Immunol ji1701345; published ahead of print January 12, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.1701345.
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ERβ-Dependent Direct Suppression of Human and Murine Th17 Cells and Treatment of Established Central Nervous System Autoimmunity by a Neurosteroid. Aggelakopoulou M, Kourepini E, Paschalidis N, Simoes DC, Kalavrizioti D, Dimisianos N, Papathanasopoulos P, Mouzaki A, Panoutsakopoulou V. J Immunol. 2016 Oct 1;197(7):2598-609. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1601038.
ERβ in CD4+ T Cells Is Crucial for Ligand-Mediated Suppression of Central Nervous System Autoimmunity. Aggelakopoulou M, Kourepini E, Paschalidis N, Panoutsakopoulou V. J Immunol. 2016 Jun 15;196(12):4947-56. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1600246.
TIGIT Enhances Antigen-Specific Th2 Recall Responses and Allergic Disease.Kourepini E, Paschalidis N, Simoes DC, Aggelakopoulou M, Grogan JL, Panoutsakopoulou V. J Immunol. 2016 May 1;196(9):3570-80. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1501591.
Circulating conventional and plasmacytoid dendritic cell subsets display distinct kinetics during in vivo repeated allergen skin challenges in atopic subjects. Vittorakis S, Samitas K, Tousa S, Zervas E, Aggelakopoulou M, Semitekolou M, Panoutsakopoulou V, Xanthou G, Gaga M. Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:231036. doi: 10.1155/2014/231036.
Osteopontin expression by CD103- dendritic cells drives intestinal inflammation. Kourepini E, Aggelakopoulou M, Alissafi T, Paschalidis N, Simoes DC, Panoutsakopoulou V.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Mar 4;111(9):E856-65. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1316447111.
Activin-A induces regulatory T cells that suppress T helper cell immune responses and protect from allergic airway disease. Semitekolou M, Alissafi T, Aggelakopoulou M, Kourepini E, Kariyawasam HH, Kay AB, Robinson DS, Lloyd CM, Panoutsakopoulou V, Xanthou G. J Exp Med. 2009 Aug 3;206(8):1769-85. doi: 10.1084/jem.20082603.