Dr Erika Loizidou | Middlesex University London
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      Dr Erika Loizidou

      PhD, MRSC, FHEA
      ROLE: Senior Lecturer in Chemistry
      SCHOOL: Science & Technology
      DEPARTMENT: Natural Sciences
      EMAIL: E.Loizidou@mdx.ac.uk
      1. Biography &
        Qualifications
      2. Learning &
        Teaching Interests
      3. Research Outputs &
        Interests
      4. Funded Research &
        Knowledge Exchange Projects
      5. Engagement &
        Impact

      • Biography &
        Qualifications

        Education

        • 2006 PhD in Chemistry, University of California San Diego / San Diego State University, USA. Supervisors: Professor K. C. Nicolaou, Associated Professor Mikael Bergdahl
        • 2003                Masters in Chemistry, San Diego State University, USA
        • 1999                BSc Chemistry, University of Cyprus, Cyprus

        Professional positions

        • 2016 - present   Senior lecturer in Chemistry, Middlesex University, London, UK
        • 2015 – 2016      Lecturer in Chemistry, Middlesex University, London, UK
        • 2013 – 2015      Marie Curie Fellow, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
        • 2011 – 2013      Marie Curie Fellow, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
        • 2007 – 2009      Marie Curie Fellow, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

        Memberships

        • Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry
        • Affiliate of the Marie Curie Fellows Association
        • Fellow of Higher Education Academy

        Languages Spoken

        English, Greek

      • Learning &
        Teaching Interests

        Organic Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Analytical methods, Innovation in Biosciences

      • Research Outputs &
        Interests

        My research interests fall at the interface of chemistry and biology focusing on studies of bioactive molecules including, synthesis, interactions with biomolecules and drug delivery. The focus of my PhD thesis was the multistep synthesis of natural products (azaspiracid-3) and molecular recognition studies of barbiturates. As a postdoctoral researcher, I studied the resistance mechanisms of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors and revealed a two-way binding mode of the first FDA approved integrase inhibitor, raltegravir. The results of this study received the first award at the 7th European HIV Drug Resistance Workshop and published in Biochemistry as a rapid report that was characterised as one of the 10 most accessed rapid reports in 2009. I later became interested in the human proteasome and developed a computational protocol to study the factors that confer subunit selectivity to proteasome inhibitors and opened the prospect of collaboration with pharmaceutical companies. A current research project includes the evaluation of argyrin analogues as inhibitors of the proteasome and immunoproteasome by using molecular modelling and in vitro assays.

        Another research area of interest is the transdermal delivery of highly potent therapeutics using microneedles. This project involves an exploration of microfabrication techniques for the preparation of microneedles, imaging techniques for evaluating skin penetration, drug delivery studies and finite element analyses for the structural characterization of the microneedles.

        Peer-reviewed publication list:

        Refereed articles in Academic Journals:

        • "Evaluation of geometrical effects of microneedles on skin penetration by CT scan and finite element analysis" Loizidou, E. Z.; Inoue, N. T.; Ashton-Barnett, J.; Barrow, D. A.; Allender, C. J. Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm., doi:10.1016/j.ejpb.2016.06.023
        • "Structural characterisation and skin penetration studies on sugar microneedles: Experimental and finite element modelling analyses" Loizidou, E. Z.; Williams, N. A.; Barrow, D. A.; Eaton, M.; McRory, J.; Evans, S. L.; Allender, C. J. Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm., 89, 224-231, 2015
        • "Computational inhibition studies of the human proteasome by Argyrin-based analogues with subunit specificity" Loizidou*, E. Z.; Zeinalipour-Yazdi C. Chemical Biology and Drug Design, doi: 10.1111/cbdd.12298, 2014
        • "Multi-objective optimization methods in de novo drug design", Nicolaou C. A.; Kannas, C.; Loizidou, E. Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, 12 (10), 979-987, 2012
        • "Receptor-attached amphiphilic terpolymer for selective drug recognition in aqueous solutions", Loizidou*, E. Z.; Zeinalipour-Yazdi, C. D.; Sun, L. J.  Mol.  Recognit. 24 (4), 678-686, 2011
        • "Analysis of binding parameters of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors: correlates of drug inhibition and resistance", Loizidou*, E. Z.; Zeinalipour-Yazdi, C. D.; Christofides, T., Kostrikis*, L. G. Bioorg. Med. Chem., 17, 4806-4818, 2009
        • "Implications of HIV-1 M group polymorphisms on integrase inhibitor efficacy and resistance: genetic and structural in-silico analyses", Loizidou, E.; Kousiappa, I.; Zeinalipour-Yazdi, C. D.; Van De Vijver, D. A. M. C.; Kostrikis, L. G. Biochemistry, 48, 4-6, 2009, among the 10 most accessed rapid reports in 2009
        • "HIV-1 integrase inhibitors: from biology to chemotherapeutics", Loizidou, E. Z.; Nicolaou, C.; Nicolaides, A.; Kostrikis, L. Current HIV Research, 5, 365-388, 2007
        • "Second generation total synthesis of azaspiracids-1, -2 and -3", Nicolaou, K. C.; Frederick, M. O.; Loizidou, E. Z.; Petrovic, G.; Cole, K. P.; Koftis, T. V.; Yamada, Y. M. A. Chemistry-An Asian Journal, 1, 245-263, 2006
        • "Total synthesis and confirmation of the revised structures of azaspiracid-2 and azaspiracid-3", Nicolaou, K. C.; Frederick, M. O.; Petrovic, G.; Cole, K. P.; Loizidou, E. Z. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 45, 2609-2615, 2006
        • "Total synthesis and structural elucidation of azaspiracid-1. Construction of key building blocks for originally proposed structure", Nicolaou, K. C.; Pihko, P. M.; Bernal, F.; Frederick, M. O.; Qian, W.; Uesaka, N.; Diedrichs, N.; Koftis, T. V.; Loizidou, E.; Petrovic, G.; Rodriquez, M.; Sarlah, D.; Zou, N. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 128, 2244-2257, 2006
        • "Studies toward the synthesis of azadirachtin, Part 2: construction of fully functionalized ABCD ring frameworks and unusual intramolecular reactions induced by close-proximity effects", Nicolaou, K. C.; Sasmal, P. K.; Koftis, T. V.; Converso, A.; Loizidou, E.; Kaiser, F.; Roecker, A. J.; Dellios, C. C.; Sun, X.-W. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 44, 3447-3452, 2005
        • "Artificial receptor-attached amphiphilic copolymer for barbiturate binding in aqueous media", Loizidou*, E.; Zeinalipour-Yazdi, C.; Sun, L. Biomacromolecules,5, 1647-1652, 2004
        • "Synthesis and characterization of novel networks with nano-engineered structures: cross-linked star homopolymers", Vamvakaki, M.; Hadjiyiannakou, S. C.; Loizidou, E.; Patrickios, C. S. Chem. Mater., 13, 4738-4744, 2001

        Refereed and published conference proceedings:

        • "Structural properties of sugar microneedles: A finite element analysis" Loizidou E. Z.; Barrow D. A.; Allender C. J.  PPP conference, April 23-25, 2014
        • "Simulating the effect of geometry on the structural properties of microneedles" Ashton-Barnett J.; Loizidou E. Z.; Barrow D. A.; Allender C. J. PPP conference, April 23-25, 2014
        • "Design of argyrin analogues as proteasome inhibitors with subunit specificity" Loizidou E. Z.; Zeinalipour-Yazdi, C. D. 247th ACS National Meeting, accepted for presentation at the MEDI session, March 19, 2014
        • "Rational design of argyrin analogues as selective inhibitors of the proteasome" Loizidou E. Z.; Zeinalipour-Yazdi, C. D. COST Conference on Personalised Medicine, Larnaca June 17-22, 2012
        • "Structure-based computational analysis of the implications of subtype specific polymorphisms on the efficacy of integrase inhibitors" Loizidou, E. Z.; Kousiappa, I.; Zeinalipour-Yazdi, C. D.; Van de Vijver, D.; Kostrikis, L. G. 7th European HIV Drug Resistance Workshop, Reviews in Antiviral Therapy 1, 46, 2009 (1st award winner for oral presentation)
        • "A second-order perturbation study of the transformation of hexagonal to rhombohedral graphite", Zeinalipour-Yazdi, C.; Loizidou, E.; Pullman, D. Abstr. Pap. Am. Chem. S. 229: coll Part 1, 2005
        • "Molecular recognition of barbiturate artificial receptor covalently bound to an amphiphilic copolymer" Loizidou, E.; Sun, L. Abstr. Pap. Am. Chem. S. 226: orgn/Molecular recognition and self-assembly, 2003
        • "Synthesis and characterization of barbiturate artificial receptor" Loizidou, E.; Sun, L. International Symposium on the Synthesis and Characterization of Macromolecules, Netherlands, Feb 7-11, 2003 (1st award winner for poster presentation)
        • "Characterization of amphiphilic polymers covalently attached with Pirkle-Concept Chiral Selectors For Chiral Separations By Merck" Loizidou, E.; Zhang, K.; Sun, L. M. Abstr. Pap. Am. Chem. S. 224: anal Aug 18, 2002
        • "AB diblock and ABC triblock amphiphilic copolymers containing fluorine:  Synthesis by group transfer polymerization and aqueous solution characterization", Loizidou, E.; Haralambous, D.; Vamvakaki, M.; Patrickios, C.S.; Krasia, T.; Antonietti, M. Abstr. Pap. Am. Chem. S. 221: coll Part 1 Apr 1, 20
        • "Computational analysis of the binding parameters of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors and correlation to resistance development" Loizidou, E. Z.; Kousiappa, I.; Zeinalipour-Yazdi, C. D.; Christophides, T.; Van de Vijver, D.; Kostrikis, L. G. 12th European AIDS Conference / EACS Cologne Nov 11-14, 2009
        • "De novo design of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors" Loizidou, E. Z.; Kostrikis, L. G. 1st International Conference on Drug Design and Discovery, Dubai Feb 4-7, 2008
        • "Total synthesis of azaspiracid-3" Nicolaou, K. C.; Loizidou, E. Z.; Frederick, M. O.; Petrovic, G.; Cole, K. P.; Koftis, T. V.; Bergdhal, M. International Symposium on Chemistry Biology & Medicine, Cyprus May 28 – June 01, 2006

        Books chapters and Dissertations:

        • "Structural assignment and total synthesis of azaspiracid-1", Michael O. Frederick, Goran Petrovic, Kevin P. Cole, Eriketi Loizidou, K.C. Nicolaou, in Phycotoxins: Chemistry and Biochemistry Ed., L.M. Botana, Blackwell Publishing, Ames, Iowa, Ch. 16, pp.297-309, 2007
        • "Part I: Total synthesis of azaspiracid-3 Part II: Molecular recognition studies in aqueous solutions facilitated by a receptor-modified polymer", Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, May 2006
        • "Synthesis and aqueous solution characterization of amphiphilic block copolymers containing fluorine" Department of Chemistry, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 1999

        Publication Feed

        Teaching atomic structure as a threshold concept in chemistry for biologists

        Loizidou, Erika and Jones, Huw (2016) Teaching atomic structure as a threshold concept in chemistry for biologists. In: 253rd American Chemical Society National Meeting & Exposition, 02-06 Apr 2017, San Francisco, CA, USA.

        Study of the cap structure of (3,3), (4,4) and (5,5)-SWCNTs: application of the sphere-in-contact model

        Zeinalipour-Yazdi, Constantinos D. and Loizidou, Erika (2017) Study of the cap structure of (3,3), (4,4) and (5,5)-SWCNTs: application of the sphere-in-contact model. Carbon, 115 . pp. 819-827. ISSN 0008-6223

        Evaluation of geometrical effects of microneedles on skin penetration by CT scan and finite element analysis

        Loizidou, Erika and Inoue, Nicholas T. and Ashton-Barnett, Johnny and Barrow, David A. and Allender, Chris J. (2016) Evaluation of geometrical effects of microneedles on skin penetration by CT scan and finite element analysis. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 107 . pp. 1-6. ISSN 0939-6411

        Structural characterization and transdermal delivery studies on sugar microneedles: experimental and finite element modelling analyses

        Loizidou, Erika and Williams, Nicholas. A. and Barrow, David A. and Eaton, Mark J. and McCrory, John and Evans, Sam L. and Allender, Chris J. (2015) Structural characterization and transdermal delivery studies on sugar microneedles: experimental and finite element modelling analyses. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 89 . pp. 224-231. ISSN 0939-6411

        AB diblock and ABC triblock amphiphilic copolymers containing fluorine

        Loizidou, Erika and Haralambous, D. and Vamvakaki, M. and Patrickios, C. S. and Krasia, T. and Antonietti, M. (2001) AB diblock and ABC triblock amphiphilic copolymers containing fluorine. In: 221th ACS National Meeting, 01 Apr 2001, San Diego, CA, USA.

        View more publications

      • Funded Research &
        Knowledge Exchange Projects

        • Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant (Marie Curie Fellow, FP7-PEOPLE-2007-4-3-IRG-204263)
        • Marie Curie Industry Academia Partnerships and Pathways (Marie Curie Fellow, FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IAPP-251630)

      • Engagement &
        Impact

        • Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry
        • Affiliate of the Marie Curie Fellows Association
        • Fellow of Higher Education Academy

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