Dr Erika Loizidou

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 7^th 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.

Selected publications:

Refereed articles in Academic Journals:

• “Nanoparticle-Infused-Biodegradable-Microneedles as Drug-Delivery Systems: Preparation and Characterisation” Sully, R.; Garelick, H.; Loizidou, E.; Podoleanu, A.; Gubala, V. accepted for publication at Materials Advances, 2021
• “Argyrin B a non-competitive inhibitor of the human immunoproteasome exhibiting preference for β1i” Allardyce, D.; Bell, C., Loizidou E. Chemical Biology and Drug Design, 94(2), 1556-1567, 2019
• “Evaluation of geometrical effects on microneedles by CT scan and finite element analysis” Loizidou, E. Z.; Inoue, N. S.; Ashton-Barnett, J.; Barrow, D. A.; Allender, C. J. J. Pharm. Biopharm., 107, 1-6, 2016
• "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

Refereed and published conference proceedings:

• “Identification of a new class of proteasome inhibitors based on a naphthylcarbonyl-phenyl urea scaffold” D Allardyce, M Szalecka, R Nkwo, S Asvid, C Zeinalipour-Yazdi, E Loizidou ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 258, 2019
• Loizidou, Erika, Yagnik, Darshna, Szalecka, Monika and Nguyen, Dao Thanh Thuong (2019) The potential use of microneedles as an alternative method for skin cancer treatment. In: The World Congress on Advanced Treatments and Technologies in Skin Cancer (Skin-Cancer2019), 4-5 Apr 2019, Vienna, Austria
• "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. 7^th European HIV Drug Resistance Workshop, Reviews in Antiviral Therapy 1, 46, 2009 (1^st award winner for oral presentation)
• "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 (1^st 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. 12^th European AIDS Conference / EACS Cologne Nov 11-14, 2009
• "De novo design of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors" Loizidou, E. Z.; Kostrikis, L. G. 1^st 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

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