Antonis Giakountis

I began my research career in Plant Molecular Biology and Genetics in 2004, where as a PhD candidate I had the opportunity to receive my education at the Max Planck Institute and work with Prof. George Coupland and Prof. Maarten Koornneef, pioneers in the field of Plant Developmental Biology and Molecular Genetics. After my PhD I moved to the University of Cambridge, UK where I had the chance to work with Sir. Prof. David Baulcombe, nominated candidate for the Nobel prize for his forward thinking research on small non-coding RNAs. These scientists got me fascinated with developmental biology along with the functional implications of RNA in cell fate decisions. Having established a publication track in high impact journals on the molecular mechanisms that control plant development, I decided to step out of my comfort zone, delve into mammalian research and challenge myself with the study of cancer as a pathological manifestation of deregulated development, first as Post-doctoral researcher at the Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexandros Fleming” and since 2018 as an Assistant Professor in Molecular Biology-Genomics at the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the University of Thessaly. Currently I am investigating the molecular mechanisms through which long non-coding RNAs interact with proteins and/or chromatin to rewire epigenetic regulation and chromatin architecture that collectively govern transcriptional regulation in cancer.