02/02/2025
The iGEM Athens 2025 team achieved an outstanding international distinction by winning a Gold Medal at the iGEM Grand Jamboree, the world’s leading competition in Synthetic Biology, held in Paris. This achievement confirms the high quality of the team’s research efforts and represents a source of pride both for its members and for the academic community of Athens.
iGEM Athens 2025 consists of nine undergraduate and postgraduate students and graduates from leading Greek academic institutions, including the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the National Technical University of Athens, the Agricultural University of Athens, the University of Patras, and the University of West Attica.
The members of the team are: Lydia-Dionysia Lavrenti (Department of Chemistry, NKUA), Maria Dima (Medical School, NKUA), Kalliopi Margoni (Medical School, NKUA), Eleni Bethani (Department of Biotechnology, AUA), George Kaltsis (Department of Biotechnology, AUA), Eleni Ntalapera (School of Chemical Engineering, NTUA), Zacharias Semertzidis (School of Chemical Engineering, NTUA), Stavroula Kyvelou (Department of Biology, University of Patras – Molecular Medicine, Uppsala University), and Vasiliki-Andromachi Lymperopoulou (Department of Graphic Design and Visual Communication, University of West Attica).
The team’s interdisciplinary composition highlights the power of collaboration across diverse scientific fields in addressing contemporary global challenges.
Their research project, entitled KERBEROS (Key Engineered Response for Binding and Elimination of Residual Orally-internalized Synthetic particles), focuses on the targeted removal of microplastics from the human gastrointestinal tract, with the ultimate goal of preventing their further accumulation in the body. According to recent scientific studies, humans are exposed daily to significant quantities of microplastics which, through intestinal absorption and systemic circulation, may infiltrate tissues and organs, adversely affecting their function.
At the laboratory level, the team developed a genetically engineered yeast, based on a well-established probiotic strain already used in pharmaceutical formulations (Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745). This yeast expresses specialized protein domains on its surface, known as CBMs (Carbohydrate Binding Modules), which are capable of binding microplastics while exhibiting little to no affinity for dietary compounds essential to human metabolism. The system has been tested both in model organisms and in a bioreactor simulating intestinal conditions.
The iGEM Athens 2025 team is proud to represent Athens in one of the most prestigious international competitions in synthetic biology and to actively contribute to the development of innovative solutions with meaningful scientific and societal impact.
More information about the project is available on the team’s official website: https://2025.igem.wiki/athens/.
19/12/2025
During the final and celebratory session of the Academy of Athens at December 18th, 2025, Naya Stini (PhD student), Dr. Petros Gkizis and Dr. Iro Triandafillidi (postdoctoral researchers_ from the Professor’s Christoforos Kokotos research group (Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry) were awarded the «Hildegard-Zervas» award for their research in the field of Organic Chemistry.
The awarded research was published in 2025 in Chemistry-A European Journal and lies in the field of Photocatalysis. It focuses on the development of a light-triggered, cerium-based catalytic system for the C-H alkenylation and alkynylation of alkanes, using an indirect HAT-mediated photocatalytic protocol. The research paper can be found at: https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202404063
STUDENTS AND GRADUATES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY RECEIVE A GOLD MEDAL IN THE iGEM 2024 COMPETITION
29/01/2025
With great joy and pride, the iGEM Athens 2024 team that participated in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition returned from the Grand Jamboree in Paris, having been awarded a Gold Medal for their project, "e-PHAESTUS: A Bioleaching Project," in the Bioremediation Village thematic category. Additionally, the team received a Nomination for Best Entrepreneurship.
The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition is organized annually by the iGEM Foundation (https://competition.igem.org, https://igem.org), which is an independent, non-profit organization that promotes advancements in Synthetic Biology through its annual competition. More than 400 interdisciplinary teams, comprising over 7,000 researchers worldwide, participate each year to bring their innovative ideas to life. This year, iGEM Athens participated in the iGEM Grand Jamboree (World Expo SynBio), held from October 23 to 26, 2024, at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris.
The "e-PHAESTUS" project by iGEM Athens 2024 introduces an innovative bioleaching method aimed at recycling heavy and precious metals found in electronic waste (e-waste), as well as producing glutathione-metal nanoparticles. To achieve this, the team genetically modified a strain of the bacterium E. coli, introducing recombinant plasmids carrying two genes essential for the synthesis of the tripeptide glutathione (GSH). This tripeptide has the ability to bind with metals in e-waste, solubilizing them and making them recoverable.
The iGEM Athens 2024 team consists of undergraduate and postgraduate students from science and engineering fields, including Chemistry, Biology, Medicine, Biotechnology, Electrical and Computer Engineering. Among the members are graduates of the Chemistry Department: Kritsian Verdhi, Charikleia Karaousta, and Athanasios Bouzoukas. The team represents prominent academic institutions, primarily in Athens and Patras, including the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the Agricultural University of Athens, the National Technical University of Athens, and the University of Patras. Participating in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition, organized annually by the iGEM Foundation, has become a long-standing tradition for the team. Since its first participation in 2018, iGEM Athens has won five gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.
iGEM Athens thanks the academic community of the Department of Chemistry at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens for their invaluable support. Special thanks go to Professors E. Efthimiadou, E. Stratikos, K. Methenitis, D. Tzeli, S. Karavoltsos, N. Pinotsis, and to PhD candidates A. Routsi, N. Georgiou, Ch. Tzeliou, and N. Katsikatsos for their significant contributions.
Award of the “Hildegard, widow of Leonidas Zervas” Prize by the Academy of Athens to Dr. Konstantinos Voreakos and Dr. Angelos Lelis, PhD graduates of the Department of Chemistry, and Nikolaos Skoulikas, graduate of MSc Program in Organic Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry
29/12/2024
On Thursday, December 19, 2024, during the Ceremonial Session of the Academy of Athens, Dr. Konstantinos Voreakos, Dr. Angelos Lelis, and Nikolaos Skoulikas were honored with the “Hildegard, widow of Leonidas Zervas” Prize, which is awarded for the best original research work in the field of Organic Chemistry. The prize-winning research, conducted at the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry of the Department of Chemistry at NKUA, specifically within the research group of Prof. D. Georgiadis, was published in September 2023 in the high-impact scientific journal Organic Letters under the title: “Diastereoselective Synthesis of Phosphinic Dipeptide Isosteres: Domino Chirality Transfer during a Stereocontrolled P-Michael Reaction.” The article addresses the resolution of a long-standing synthetic challenge in the field of phosphinic peptides, a class of pharmaceutically valuable compounds with applications in the development of Zn metalloprotease inhibitors. Specifically, it proposes a practical methodology enabling the diastereoselective synthesis of pseudodipeptidic units, characterized by operational simplicity, scalability and availability of starting materials. For more information on the study, visit the link: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.orglett.3c02335.
All three awardees hold degrees in Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and are also graduates of the postgraduate program “Organic Synthesis and its Applications in Chemical Industry.” Dr. Angelos Lelis and Dr. Konstantinos Voreakos completed their PhD theses in the same department under the supervision of Prof. D. Georgiadis, while Nikolaos Skoulikas is currently pursuing his PhD in the research group of the distinguished Professor of Organic Chemistry, Nuno Maulide, at the University of Vienna.
