Stavroula Baritaki

Stavroula Baritaki’s, PhD, is currently Professor in Experimental Oncology at the University of Greece,. Her areas of expertise include the understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in tumour cell therapeutic resistance and acquisitin of a metastatic phenotype. Her studies have revealed novel gene products, including Raf-1 Kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP),. Followed by further studies on the epigenetic and post-translational regulation of RKIP in many cancer types, her overall findings have firstly suggested the RKIP downregulation in cancer cells as a putative gene signature of tumor chemo/immune-resistance and EMT with prognostic and therapeutic significance in an individualized basis. On this context, Dr. Baritaki has extended her research interests in identifying novel agents that through RKIP induction are able to inhibit EMT or improve either the host immunosurveillance and/or the efficacy of anti-tumor therapies, especially if they are combined with conventional immuno-stimulatory or chemotherapeutic regimens. Most of these agents are currently under clinical trials.