The Biomedical Research Institute (BRI) of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH) in Ioannina is proud to welcome two outstanding researchers awarded funding under the prestigious Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024 (Call: HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01). These projects, set to commence in 2025, will strengthen BRI-FORTH’s position as a hub for cutting-edge biomedical research.
NeuroPhase – Dr. Karmel Sofia Gkika
Dr. Karmel Sofia Gkika, a postdoctoral researcher with a PhD from Dublin City University (DCU), brings her expertise in medicinal chemistry and diagnostics to the NeuroPhase project. With a distinguished academic and research career-including awards such as the Colin Barnes Award and the Diamond Researcher of the Year Award-Dr. Gkika will explore translational control during early human corticogenesis. Hosted by Dr. Christos G. Gkogkas at BRI-FORTH Ioannina and collaborating with Dr. Laurent Nguyen at the University of Liège, this project aims to advance our understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using human iPSC-derived brain organoids and pave the way for targeted therapies.
Micro_SYN – Dr. Carla Cangalaya Lira
Dr. Carla Cangalaya Lira, a neuroscientist with a PhD from Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and extensive experience at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), will lead the Micro_SYN project. Her research focuses on microglia-neuron-extracellular matrix interactions, with a track record of impactful publications in journals like Glia and Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Under the supervision of Dr. Christos G. Gkogkas at BRI-FORTH Ioannina, and with collaborations involving Prof. Alexander Dityatev (DZNE), Dr. Cangalaya Lira’s work will investigate synaptic pruning in neurodevelopmental disorders using advanced human iPSC-derived brain organoids and in vivo imaging techniques.
These projects exemplify BRI-FORTH’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary research and addressing critical challenges in neuroscience. We congratulate Dr. Gkika and Dr. Cangalaya Lira on their success and look forward to the groundbreaking contributions they will bring to BRI and the broader scientific community.
