Alexia Kagiava

Academic Staff

Current Position

Post-Doctoral Fellow-Neuroscience Department

The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics

Education

2001-2005: B.Sc in Biology 
School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
•    Dissertation: "In vitro evaluation of the minimum force required for the alternation of the electrophysiological properties of the sciatic nerve of the rat being under the mechanical stress and the possible neuroprotective role of oxygen". Supervised by Professor G. Theophilidis

Postgraduate 

2005-2007: M.Sc in Applied Genetics and Biotechnology 
•    Dissertation: "In vitro assessment of the tolerance of the sciatic nerve of the rat to hypoxia and anoxia conditions". Supervised by Professor G. Theophilidis.

2007-2011: Ph.D.
•    PhD thesis: "The effects of stress conditions on the function of the sciatic nerve of vertebrates". Supervised by Professor G. Theophilidis (started 7-2-2008 ended 1-7-2011).
 

Research Interests

  • Gene therapy for inherited neuropathies 
  • Oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy
     

Biography

Dr Kagiava received her BSc degree in Biology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2005, her MSc in Applied Genetics and Biotechnology in 2007 and her PhD in 2011 from the same university. Since 2012 she is a Post-doctoral fellow in the Neuroscience Laboratory of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics. Her work focuses on electrophysiological assessment of stress conditions in the PNS and the last six years she works on gene therapy approaches for inherited neuropathies.

 

Selected Publications:

  1. Kagiava A., Tsingotjidou A., Emmanouilides C. and Theophilidis G; “The effects of oxaliplatin, an anticancer drug, on potassium channels of the peripheral myelinated nerve fibres of the adult rat”; NeuroToxicology, Volume 29, Issue 6, November 2008, Pages 1100-1106 (impact factor: 2.921)  doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2008.09.005
  2. Kagiava A., Kosmidis E.K. and Theophilidis G.; “Oxaliplatin-induced Hyperexcitation of Rat Sciatic Nerve Fibers: An Intra-axonal Study”; Anticancer Agents Med Chem. Volume 13, Issue 2, February 2013, Pages 373-379 (impact factor: 2.862)
  3. Schiza N., Sargiannidou I., Kagiava A., Karaiskos C., Nearchou M., Kleopa K.A.; “Transgenic replacement of Cx32 in gap junction deficient oligodendrocytes rescues the phenotype of a hypomyelinating leukodystrophy model”; Human Molecular Genetics. Volume 24, Issue 7, 2015, Pages 2049-2064  (impact factor: 6.677) doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddu725
  4. Sargiannidou I, Kagiava A, Bashiardes S, Richter J, Christodoulou C, Scherer SS, Kleopa KA. “Intraneural GJB1 gene delivery improves nerve pathology in a model of CMT1X”; Annals of Neurology. Volume 78, Issue 2, August 2015, Pages 303-316 (impact factor: 11.91) doi: 10.1002/ana.24441
  5. Kagiava A., Theophilidis G., Sargiannidou I., Kyriacou K., Kleopas K.A.; “Oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity is mediated through gap junction hemichannels and can be prevented by octanol”; Neuropharmacology, Volume 97, October 2015, Pages 289-305 (impact factor: 4.819) doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.05.021. 
  6. Kagiava A., Sargiannidou I., Theophilidis G., Karaiskos C., Richter J., Bashiardes S., Schiza N., Nearchou M., Christodoulou C, Scherer SS, Kleopa KA. “Intrathecal gene delivery for the treatment of inherited peripheral neuropathies”; PNAS, Volume 113, April 2016, Pages 2421-9 doi: 10.1073/pnas.1522202113 
  7. Olympiou M, Sargiannidou I, Markoullis K, Karaiskos C, Kagiava A, Kyriakoudi S, Abrams CK, Kleopa KA. Systemic inflammation disrupts oligodendrocyte gap junctions and induces ER stress in a model of CNS manifestations of X-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Acta Neuropathol Commun. Volume 4, September 2016, Pages 95. doi: 10.1186/s40478-016-0369-5.
  8. Georgiou E, Sidiropoulou K, Richter J, Papaneophytou C, Sargiannidou I, Kagiava A, von Jonquieres G, Christodoulou C, Klugmann M, Kleopa KA. “GJC2/Cx47 gene delivery to oligodendrocytes reestablishes gap junctions and provides therapeutic benefit in a leukodystrophy model”; Brain, Volume 140, March 2017, Pages 599-616. doi: 10.1093/brain/aww351 
  9. Kyriakoudi S, Sargiannidou I, Kagiava A, Olympiou M, Kleopa KA. “Golgi-retained Cx32 mutants interfere with gene addition therapy for CMT1X”; Hum Mol Genet. Volume 26, May 2017, Pages 1622-1633 doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddx064.
  10. Kagiava A., Karaiskos C., Richter J., Tryfonos C., Lapathitis G., Sargiannidou I., Christodoulou C., Kleopa K.A. “Intrathecal gene therapy in mouse models expressing CMT1X mutations”;  Hum Mol Genet. (In Press) 
     

 

Awards

2016:  Awarded with the Young Researcher Award (Life Sciences) of the Cyprus Research Award (35000 €)
2016:   Awarded with the Panos Ioannou Junior Scientist Award
2014:   Grant from FENS/IBRO for poster presentation in 9th Forum of European Neuroscience Societies, Milan, Italy, “Gene delivery targeted to  myelinating cells to treat inherited neuropathies and leukodystrophy ” (5-9 July 2014)   
2013:    Grant from PNS Society for poster presentation in the PNS Biennial Meeting, Saint-Malo, Brittany, France, “Oxaliplatin-induced hyperexcitation of rat sciatic nerve fibers: an intra-axonal study” (29 June - 3 July 2013)
2011:    Second award for Oral presentation in 17th Hellenic Conference of Clinical Oncology, Athens, Greece, “Effects of oxaliplatin on the action potential of nerve axons of peripheral nervous system” (April 14-16 2011)
2010:    Grant from FENS/IBRO for poster presentation in 7th Forum of European Neuroscience Societies, Amsterdam, Netherlands, “Assessment of the neurotoxic effects of palytoxin and palytoxin-like compounds produced by Ostreopsis species, affecting the Na+/K+-ATPase pump, using the isolated mouse sciatic nerve” (July 3-7 2010)
 

winner aashe copernicus