Entry Year of 2026

Evelyn was born in Athens, Greece, in 2003. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of West Attica (UniWA) in September 2026. She completed her BSc thesis, entitled “Drug Repurposing on the GHRH Receptor and Nanocarrier Design and Synthesis” under the supervision of Prof. Minos-Timotheos Matsoukas. During her studies, she earned a MicroBachelors in “Introduction to Neuroscience” through Harvard University’s online program, served as Vice-President of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Student Branch of UniWA, and completed a three-month internship at the Greek biotechnology and pharmaceutical R&D company Cloudpharm. Evelyn is currently pursuing the International MSc Program in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC “Alexander Fleming”.

Fotini was born in Athens, Greece in 2002. She graduated from the Department of Biology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in 2026, where she specialized in Genetics. She conducted her undergraduate thesis at the Section of Genetics and Biotechnology of the Department of Biology of NKUA, focusing on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in renal cell carcinoma, under the supervision of Assistant Professor Andreas Agathangelidis. During her final semester, undertook a four-month internship at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery of Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. There, her work focused on the exploration of genetic and epigenetic biomarkers in chronic lymphocytic leukemia using adaptive sequencing with Oxford Nanopore technology, while also gaining experience in basic bioinformatics workflows. In 2026, Fotini enrolled in the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming".

Stathis was born in Athens, Greece, in 2003. He graduated from the Department of Biology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in 2026. During his undergraduate studies, he joined the Unit of Neurogenetics and Ageing at the Medical School of NKUA, where he conducted his Bachelor’s thesis under the supervision of Associate Professor Konstantinos Palikaras. There, he investigated calcium dysregulation in autosomal dominant optic atrophy using C. elegans models. He has presented his research, entitled “MCU and mPTP mediate cytosolic calcium overload and neuronal dysfunction in C. elegans models of autosomal dominant optic atrophy”, at national and international scientific conferences, including the 8th Hellenic & Paris Pasteur Institute Young Scientists Joint Conference, the 75th National Conference of the Hellenic Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (HSBMB), and the 12th Young Scientists Forum of HSBMB, where he received an award for best oral presentation. His research interests include cellular ageing, neurodegeneration, mitochondrial biology, organelle crosstalk, and autophagy. Stathis is currently attending the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine, organized by the Medical School of NKUA in collaboration with the BSRC “Alexander Fleming”.

​Nélia was born in Toulouse, France, in 2006. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from the Faculty of Sciences and Engineering of the University of Toulouse in 2026. As an undergraduate student, she specialized in Cellular Biology and Physiology. Throughout her three years of study, she worked on expanding her skills and knowledge in various fields, with the aim of contributing to a professional research environment where communication and methodology are essential. Nélia then enrolled in the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming".

Romane was born in Lyon, France, in 2004. She obtained a Bachelor's degree in Biological and Medical Technology from Clermont Auvergne University (UCA) in June 2025. She then continued her studies at Polytech Marseille, the engineering school of Aix-Marseille University (AMU), where she is now a fourth-year Biotechnology Engineering student. She completed an eight-week internship at Croix-Rousse Hospital in Lyon, studying azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus. She later completed a four-month research internship at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, working on breast cancer models to study the role of hormones in tumour growth. This experience increased her interest in cancer research. During her fourth year, Romane had the opportunity to undertake an international study mobility through the CIVIS European University Alliance and the Erasmus+ programme, attending the first semester of the International MSc in Molecular Biomedicine, jointly organised by the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and the Biomedical Sciences Research Center (BSRC) “Alexander Fleming”.

Tryfonas was born in Athens in 2003. He graduated from the Department of Biology of the University of Crete (UoC) in 2026. He conducted his undergraduate thesis titled “Study of the presence of viruses and viroids in cultivated plants and weeds in fields and orangeries across Crete” under the supervision of Prof. Kriton Kalantidis in the Plant Molecular Biology lab of UoC. As an undergraduate, he attended the Onassis Lectures summer school on Directed Enzyme Evolution held at the Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH). He completed a three month internship in ATG (Access To Genome) BioLabs, where he gained hands-on experience on cell culture and karyotyping, as well as professional soft skills. During his studies, he completed a semester-long Erasmus exchange, attending the Licence Biologie-Santé courses at the Université Paris-Saclay, France. Pushed by his passion to gain deeper scientific knowledge in molecular biology, he is currently attending the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine, organized by the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming". 

Anindita was born in Chattogram, Bangladesh, and obtained both her BSc and MSc in Microbiology from the University of Chittagong. Throughout her studies, she gained practical experience in molecular and microbiological techniques and broadened her knowledge through workshops and specialised training in molecular biology, microbiology, immunology, bioinformatics, and research methodology. Her bioinformatics experience includes working with biological databases, sequence analysis using BLAST and FASTA, phylogenetic analysis using MEGA. This combination of laboratory and computational experience has strengthened her interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying human disease. Her role as a Technical Officer (Health Research and Data Analysis) at the National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh has taught her the importance of using scientific evidence and data analysis to understand public health challenges and inform healthcare decision-making. Through her involvement in projects addressing maternal and child health, vaccination coverage, early marriage, child mortality, and measles transmission among children in Bangladesh, she has gained insight into the epidemiological and social factors that influence disease patterns and population health. Driven by her growing interest in cancer biology, tumor–immune interactions, molecular biomarkers, and translational medicine, she is now pursuing the International MSc Program in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming". 

Evi was born in Athens, Greece in 2003. She graduated from the Department of Biology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in 2026. Her dissertation thesis, entitled “Study of the interaction of the transmembrane form of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α with its receptor, p75, in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease”, was conducted in the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), under the supervision of Dr. Spiros Georgopoulos and in collaboration with Prof. Spiros Efthimiopoulos (NKUA). During this project, she investigated the role of neuroinflammation and neuroimmune interactions in Alzheimer’s disease, and gained valuable hands-on experience in molecular and histological techniques, as well as laboratory mouse handling. Eager to expand her knowledge of the mechanisms underlying disease, Evi joined the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine, organized by the Medical School of the NKUA in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming".

Jayda was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 2004. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology from the German International University (GIU) in 2026. She conducted her bachelor's thesis, entitled "Regulation of Novel Onco- and Immunomodulators CD81 and CD155 in Breast Cancer" under the supervision of Prof. Rana A. Youness at the Molecular Genetics Research Team (MGRT) of GIU. Her research focused on investigating the expression of CD81 and CD155 in breast cancer patient samples and cell lines, with particular emphasis on the regulatory roles of non-coding RNAs. Through this work, she gained experience in molecular biology techniques, including cell culture, RNA extraction, and gene expression analysis. Her research was also presented as an accepted ePoster abstract at the ESMO Targeted Anticancer Therapies Congress 2026. During her undergraduate studies, she completed a five-month internship at Hikma Pharmaceuticals, where she gained experience in pharmaceutical quality operations. She is currently attending the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine, organized by the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming".

Maria was born in Athens, Greece in 2003. She graduated from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Crete (UoC) in 2026. She conducted her Bachelor's thesis, entitled “Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorographene–Siloxene Heterostructures as Catalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction” under the supervision of Prof. Antonios Kouloumpis. From March to July 2026, she completed an Erasmus+ research internship at the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Photopharmacology and Imaging (MCPI) at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, under the supervision of Prof. Wiktor Szymanski. During her internship, she worked on the synthesis and characterization of BODIPY photocages and investigated their photochemical properties. She is currently enrolled in the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine, organized by the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming".

Alice was born in Senlis, France, in 2004. In 2025, she completed her Bachelor degree in Health Sciences at the Université de Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, France. During her studies, she did an internship in clinical research at the Boulogne-sur-Mer hospital center. The main subject was an observational study about sleep apnea syndrome, during which she built and filled the study database needed for statistical analysis. Later, she carried out a two-week laboratory internship at INSERM in the Therapeutic Optimization in Neuropsychopharmacology Unit in Paris, where she studied the role of the GBA1 pathway in dementia with Lewy bodies. She learnt especially about cell culture, Western blot, ELISA, data analysis and protocol optimization. Then, she continued her engineering studies at Polytech Marseille, the engineering school of Aix-Marseille University (AMU). During her fourth year, she had the opportunity to undertake an international study mobility through the CIVIS European University Alliance and the Erasmus+ programme, attending the first semester of the International MSc in Molecular Biomedicine, jointly organised by the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and the Biomedical Sciences Research Center (BSRC) “Alexander Fleming”.

Eleni was born in Athens in 2003. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Crete (UoC) in 2026. She conducted her undergraduate thesis, entitled "The role of the membrane androgen receptor OXER1 in prostate cancer cells and neutrophil interactions" under the supervision of Prof. Maria-Eleni Kampa at the Laboratory of Experimental Endocrinology of the School of Medicine of UoC. During this period, Eleni gained hands on experience in cellular techniques and was introduced to the field of cancer research. Her areas of interest include cancer biology and immunology, and she has a strong drive to explore interdisciplinary fields within biomedicine and broaden her scientific knowledge. Eleni is currently attending the International MSc Program in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming".

Danai was born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 2002. She graduated from the Department of Biology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) in 2025, specializing in Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Biotechnology. She conducted her Bachelor’s thesis, titled “Investigation of the role of tumor suppressor gene Cyld in bladder carcinoma”, at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology under the supervision of Prof. George Mosialos. Her research focused on evaluating the effects of altering Cyld expression levels on cancer cell viability and colony formation in bladder cancer cell lines using functional molecular assays, including Western blotting, MTT assays, and Clonogenic assays. In the summer of 2024, she completed a clinical internship at the Anticancer Hospital “Theagenio” in Thessaloniki, gaining hands-on experience operating flow cytometry for diagnosing hematological malignancies. She has actively participated in scientific conferences, including delivering an oral presentation on epigenetics and aging at the 1st Panhellenic Student Congress of Bioscientists. Eleni-Danai is currently attending the International MSc Program in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming".

Evdokia was born in Larisa, Greece, in 2001. She graduated from the Department of Pharmacy of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) in 2025. During her undergraduate studies, she completed her Integrated Master’s thesis titled "Identification of compounds that affect a-synuclein’s aggregation" under the supervision of Associate Prof. Georgios Pampalakis, in the Labοratory of Pharmacology of AUTh. Her research focused on the impact of four plant-derived compounds on alpha-synuclein’s fibrillization, a pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. Following her graduation, she undertook a two-month internship at the Research Centre of Molecular Biology (CRBM – CNRS) in Montpellier, France in the group of Dr. Dimitris Xirodimas. There, her work was focused on molecular and proteostatic alterations associated to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as well as on the identification of proteins present in ALS’ pathological formations called stress granules. In 2026, Evdokia enrolled in the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming".

Foteini was born in Athens, Greece in 2003. She graduated from the Department of Biology of the University of Crete (UoC) in 2026. She conducted her Bachelor’s Thesis, titled “Identification of Tick Species and Tick-Borne Pathogens Detected in Tick and Host Blood Samples in the Island of Crete” at the Tick Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH) under the supervision of Dr. Michail Kotsyfakis, where she assisted in the conduction of research related to Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV). During her studies, she also gained research experience in genetics and developmental biology, analyzing gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster, investigating protein functional enrichment in the gut bacteria of the olive fly, and participating in experiments on the role of tick saliva in host immunity and homeostasis. Shortly after graduating, she had the chance to delve deeper in the molecular mechanisms of disease by completing a 4-month internship in Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S) in Porto, Portugal, where she studied the role of cis-regulatory elements in pancreatic function and disease in zebrafish (Danio rerio) and greatly contributed in the optimization of a whole-blood glucose level measurement for larvae zebrafish. She completed a semester-long Erasmus exchange, attending the West Pomeranian University of Technology (ZUT) in Szczecin, Poland. Driven by her interest in exploring mechanisms underlying disease, she is currently attending the International MSc Programme in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), in collaboration with the Biomedical Sciences Research Center (BSRC) “Alexander Fleming”.

Zoia was born in Moscow, Russia, in 2002. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at Haliç University in Istanbul, Türkiye, in 2026. Her undergraduate thesis, entitled “The Effect of Chronotype, Meal Timing and FODMAP Intake on Gastrointestinal Well-being in Healthy Adults” was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Ezgi Arslan Yüksel and explored the relationship between dietary patterns, chronotype, and gastrointestinal health. As part of her clinical training, she completed internships in hospitals and clinical settings, including the Private French La Paix Hospital, Gaziosmanpaşa Hospital, and Türkiye Hospital in Istanbul. She also participated in an Erasmus+ traineeship at the International Hellenic University (IHU) in Greece, contributing to research on food allergy and psychology. Additionally, she gained clinical research experience through a study investigating child development in relation to pregnancy-related risk factors in collaboration with Papageorgiou Hospital in Thessaloniki. Her research interests focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying food allergy and immune-mediated conditions, particularly immunonutrition, chronic inflammation, and the gut–immune axis. She is interested in contributing to immunology research and advancing the understanding of immune-mediated diseases, with the aim of translating advances in molecular biomedicine into more personalised approaches to understanding and managing allergic and autoimmune diseases. She has been accepted into the International MSc programme in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), in collaboration with the Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming".

Vee was born in Singapore in 2001. She graduated from the University of Wrocław, Poland, in 2025 with a Bachelor's degree in biotechnology. As an undergraduate student, she conducted her thesis entitled “CAR-T Therapy – Current Clinical Applications and Future Perspectives” focusing on the current clinical applications and future perspectives of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. She also worked as an R&D Laboratory Assistant at Smith & Nephew Pte. Ltd. Alongside her research background, Vee has professional experience in Regulatory Affairs at Procter & Gamble and Haleon (GSK), supporting product registrations, regulatory submissions, compliance assessments, and documentation for consumer health products, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices across multiple markets in the Asia-Pacific region (Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei). Vee's academic interests include molecular biomedicine, biotechnology, immunology, cellular therapies, and the development of innovative approaches to disease treatment. Her research background in CAR-T therapy, combined with her laboratory and regulatory experience, has contributed to her interest in understanding disease mechanisms and the translation of biomedical research into therapeutic applications. Vee is currently attending the IInternational MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming".

Eleftheria was born in Athens, Greece, in 2000. She obtained her Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences from the International Hellenic University (IHU) in Thessaloniki. For her undergraduate dissertation thesis, titled "Alzheimer's Disease: Determination of antibodies against advanced glycation end products (anti-AGEs) in serum and CSF of patients" she focused on neurodegenerative disease biomarkers. During her final semester, she completed an internship at the Chemistry and Biology of Membranes and Nano-objects (CBMN) laboratory in Bordeaux, France, where she worked on cell culture maintenance (LHCN-M2, INS-1E), differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes, immunohistochemistry, and quantitative image analysis. Following this, she worked at Bordeaux Proteome (University of Bordeaux), under the supervision of Dr. Stéphane Claverol, where she gained experience in protein sample preparation for mass spectrometry analysis and collaborative data interpretation. Driven by her research background and academic interests, Eleftheria is currently attending the International MSc programme in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), in collaboration with the Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming".

Katerina was born in Athens, Greece, in 2003. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics from the University of Thessaly (UTh), in March 2026. Her undergraduate thesis was entitled “Data analysis from next-generation sequencing with applications on personalized medicine” and was performed under the supervision of Prof. Vasilis Plagianakos (UTh) and in collaboration with Dr. Alexandros Kanterakis (Institute of Computer Science ICS-FORTH). Her work focused on the analysis and interpretation of genomic data and their potential contribution to personalized medicine. During her undergraduate studies, she completed a two-month internship at the Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Department of Bioinformatics, under the supervision of Prof. Artemis Chatzigeorgiou. Additionally, she has presented her work at various scientific conferences and has been actively involved in student-led synthetic biology teams, participating in international competitions and gaining experience in interdisciplinary research. Katerina is currently attending the International MSc Program in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming”. 

Katerina was born in Athens in 2002. She graduated from the Department of Chemistry of the Democritus University of Thrace (DUTh) in 2026. In the third year of her undergraduate studies, she joined Dr. Alexandros Tsoupras’ lab to conduct a project on the bioactive components and antioxidant activity of water kefir microbiota and contributed to published research on the topic. Continuing under his supervision, she conducted her Bachelor’s thesis entitled "Anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, and antioxidant efficacy of vitamin C: an in vitro study and in vivo assessment via a clinical trial in healthy volunteers". In parallel, she combined her findings with those from a complementary project evaluating a vitamin C and bioflavonoid supplement, further investigating the individual and comparative effects of the two. This collaborative work resulted in a peer-reviewed publication and received the Best Paper Award at the 13th Panhellenic Conference on Thrombosis and Antithrombotic Therapy (IMETHA). During her studies, she also carried out a three-month internship in the Biochemistry Laboratory of the General Hospital of Kavala. Seeking to expand her background in chemistry into translational biomedical research, Katerina joined the International MSc Program in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming”. 

Evita was born in Giannitsa, Greece in 2003. She graduated from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the Democritus University of Thrace (DUTh) in 2026. As an undergraduate student, she performed her dissertation thesis titled “ Brain Neuroimaging with Iodine-123 Ioflupane for the Differential Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease and Drug-Induced Parkinsonism” . This project took place at the Medical School of DUTh , under the supervision of Prof. Athanasios Zisimopoulos and the co-supervision of Prof. Maria Lampropoulou. During her  studies, she carried out a two-month internship in a microbiology  laboratory in Alexandroupolis. Additionally she completed a three month traineeship in the Department of Pharmacy in Strasbourg, France, where her study on neurosciences deepened. During her academic journey, she gained valuable experience in cell culture practices and molecular techniques and she developed a strong interest in the molecular basis of human diseases and the approaches to effectively treat them. Evita is currently attending the International MSc Program in Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming".

Katerina was born in Athens, Greece, in 2002. She graduated from the School of Chemical Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) in 2025. She conducted her thesis, entitled “Development and Assessment of a Machine Learning Model for Nanomaterial Cellular Uptake Prediction” at the Department of Process Analysis and Plant Design under the supervision of Prof. Haralambos Sarimveis. During her final year of studies, she was offered a position as a junior researcher at the chem- and bioinformatics company NovaMechanics Ltd. In this role, she conducted research examining the underlying mechanisms and effects of advanced materials, such as nanoparticles and PFAS, on biological systems, applying advanced data analysis and machine learning techniques to extract meaningful insights and support scientific discovery. This research activity led to the publication of two articles in peer-reviewed journals. Currently, Katerina is attending the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), in collaboration with the BSRC “Alexander Fleming.”

Maria was born in Athens in 2002. She graduated from the Department of Biology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in 2025. She conducted her undergraduate thesis, entitled “Regulation of REDD1 Gene Expression by RNA-Binding Proteins” at the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), under the supervision of Prof. Epaminondas Doxakis. Her research focused on investigating the role of RNA-binding proteins in the regulation of REDD1 gene expression, exploring potential binding sites on REDD1 mRNA and the underlying regulatory mechanisms. Through this project, she gained hands-on experience in molecular and cellular biology techniques, protein expression and stability analysis, and RNA–protein and protein-protein interaction studies. Her research interests focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying human diseases and the development of novel therapeutic approaches. Maria is currently attending the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine, organized by the Medical School of the NKUA in collaboration with the BSRC “Alexander Fleming.”

Maria Alejandra was born in Barranquilla, Colombia in 1998. She completed her undergraduate studies at Texas Tech University, USA, with a focus on chemistry and psychology. After graduating, she transitioned into the biotechnology industry, working at Vessel Health and later as a formulation chemist at OraSure Technologies. During her time in industry, she gained experience in assay development, scale-up, lateral flow diagnostics, antibody conjugation, protein purification, and chromatography. She later joined Barnard College, Columbia University, where she worked in biochemistry and molecular biology research involving mycobacterial systems and gained hands-on experience in molecular cloning, plasmid construction, PCR, and protein expression. She is currently attending the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and the BSRC "Alexander Fleming".

Alkistis was born in Athens, Greece in 2002. She obtained an Integrated Master’s degree in Biotechnology, after graduating from the School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology of the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) in 2025. As an undergraduate student, she conducted her diploma thesis, entitled “The Digitalization of Medical Records of Patients with Central Nervous System Cancer in the Intensive Care Unit of the Children's Hospital «Agia Sofia» towards novel biomarker discovery”, under the supervision of Prof. Dimitrios Vlachakis at the laboratory of Genetics of the AUA, Group of darkDNA.  She has additionally performed a two-month internship at the Computational Biology laboratory of the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA) under the supervision of Dr. Ioannis Michalopoulos, focusing on the construction of a universal pipeline for reference – guided de novo genome assembly, and another two months of internship at the laboratory of Exosomal Analysis and Brain Pathology – ExoBrain of the Institute of Life Sciences and Applications (IBR) of the National Center for Scientific Research (NCSR) "Demokritos", under the guidance of  Dr. Ioannis Sotiropoulos, performing proteomic analysis in Alzheimer’s disease targeting the protein Tau. She also delivered a presentation on “Feeding the Microbiome” at the 17th ACCN Course on Clinical Nutrition, held as part of the 8th GrESPEN Conference and worked for 10 months for the company “New EPIMED”, performing blood platelet apheresis at the “Alexandra” General Hospital. Alkistis is currently enrolled in the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine, organized by the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in collaboration with the BSRC "Alexander Fleming", after being awarded a full scholarship from the Union of Greek Shipowners.

Evan was born in Athens, Greece in 2003. He graduated from the Department of Public and One Health of the University of Thessaly (UTh) in 2025. He conducted his thesis entitled “Investigating the origin and evolution of emerging coronaviruses: a critical overview using molecular and epidemiological data” at the same Department under the supervision of Prof. Antonia Touloudi. As an undergraduate student, he was awarded a research scholarship through the Summer Undergraduate Research program organized by the University of Lausanne (Unil), Switzerland. During the two-month program, he was involved in successfully constructing a viral vector plasmid as part of experiments investigating the role of host genes in HIV infection at the Institute of Microbiology, University of Lausanne (IMU-UNIL) under the supervision of Prof. Angela Ciuffi. Additionally, he trained in flow cytometry and cell cultures during his two-month internship at the Department of Immunology, Agia Sofia Children’s Hospital. After completing his military service, Evangelos completed a 4-month internship at the Laboratory of Cellular Neuroimmunology, First Department of Neurology of NKUA to get additional experience in translational research. Currently, Evangelos is enrolled in the International MSc program in Molecular Biomedicine at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and the BSRC "Alexander Fleming."