Current Position

Scientist, Department of Molecular Genetics, Function & Therapy

The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics

Education

• B.Sc. Biology/Microbiology. The University of Akron, Ohio, USA. January, 1989.
• M.Sc. Biochemistry/Molecular Biology. The University of Akron, Ohio, USA. May, 1992.
• Ph.D. Molecular Biology/Genetics. St Thomas’ Hospital, U of London, UK. November, 1997. Thesis title: ‘’UVR effects on collagen and elastin gene products in mouse skin’’ under the supervision of Prof Antony R Young and Prof Carol Brownson.
• Certified Clinical Biochemist, Sept 2011 (Certified licence # 355, Ministry of Health Republic of Cyprus).

Research Interests

Most of Dr Neocleous work involves research of inherited endocrinological diseases such as Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, Central Precocious Puberty and Disorders of Sexual Differentiation. He has also been involved in several research and diagnostic activities for other genetic disorders such as Cystic Fibrosis, Inherited Deafness, inherited cancers (MEN2) and Hereditary Recurrent Fevers.

Biography

Dr Vassos Neocleous is a staff scientist at the department of Molecular Genetics, Function & Therapy (MGFT) of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics (CING) and has extensive expertise in molecular genetics of inherited endocrinological diseases. He was educated both in USA and UK. He holds a B.Sc in Biology/Microbiology and an MSc in Molecular Biology both from the University of Akron, Ohio, USA and a PhD in Molecular Biology/Genetics carried at St Thomas’ Hospital, University of London, UK. For his post graduate studies during 1992-1996 was the recipient of the prestigious scholarship from the Commonwealth Overseas Development Administration (ODA) in the UK. 

During 1999 as a post-doctoral fellow visited the Sanger Center in the UK and participated in the HUMAN GENOME PROJECT (HGP). There he contributed to make up of the physical map of human chromosome 9 by constructing the region between 9p21.1-p13.2. This work was presented in the celebrating issue of NATURE, February 15th, 2001 that included the initial sequence analyses generated by the publicly sponsored HGP and Dr Neocleous is one of the co-authors in a landmark article by Bentley et al. 2001 ‘‘The physical maps for sequencing human chromosomes 1, 6, 9, 10, 13, 20 and X’’.  

Since 2012 he is teaching Molecular Genetics at the graduate school of the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine (CSMM) that is housed within CING. During the period of 2011-2013 he served as Vice President of the Cyprus National Review Bioethics Committee and from 2013-2015 as President. 

He has participated as a principal investigator or co-investigator in grants either funded from the Research Promotion Foundation (RPF) of Cyprus or other international funding bodies such as the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grants, the Cyprus-American Scholarship Program and the European cooperation in Science & Technology Swiss participation COST Action. 

Selected Publications:

1. Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia 2 in Cyprus: Evidence for a founder effect. Pavlos Fanis, Nicos Skordis, Savvas Frangos, George Christopoulos, Elena Spanou-Aristidou, Elena Andreou, Panayiotis Manoli, Michalis Mavrommatis, Stella Nicolaou, Marina Kleanthous, Marios A Cariolou, Violetta Christophidou-Anastasiadou, George A Tanteles, Leonidas A Phylactou, Vassos Neocleous.  J of Endocrinol Invest  DOI: 10.1007/s40618-018-0841-0, Feb 2 2018.
2. Variations in the 3’UTR of the CYP21A2 gene in heterozygous females with hyperandrogenaemia. Vassos Neocleous, Pavlos Fanis, Meropi Toumba, Alexia AP Phedonos, Michalis Picolos, Elena Andreou, Tassos C Kyriakides, George A Tanteles, Christos Shammas, Leonidas A Phylactou and Nicos Skordis. Int J of Endocrinol. 2017:8984365. doi: 10.1155/2017/8984365, 2017.
3. Developing and evaluating rare disease educational materials co-created by expert clinicians and patients: the paradigm of congenital hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. Badiu C, Bonomi M, Borshchevsky I, Cools M, Craen, Ghervan C, Hauschild M,  Hershkovitz E, Hrabovszky E, Juul A, Kim S-H, Kumanov P, Lecumberri B, Lemos MC,  Neocleous V, Niedziela M, Pekic S, Persani L, Phan-Hug F, Pignatelli D, Pitteloud N,  Popovic V, Quinton R, Skordis N, Smith N, Stefanija MA, Xu C, Young J, Dwyer AA. Orphanet J Rare Dis. Mar 20; 12(1):57, 2017. 
4. In Silico analysis of a novel MKRN3 missense mutation in familial central precocious puberty. Neocleous V, Shammas C, Phelan MM, Nicolaou S, Phylactou LA and Skordis N. Clinical Endocrinology 84 (1): 80-84, 2016.
5. Familial Mediterranean Fever associated with MEFV mutations in a large cohort of Cypriot patients. Neocleous V, Costi C, Kyriakou C, Kyriakides TC, Shammas C, Skordis N, Toumba M, Kyriakou S, Koliou M, Kousparou M, Onoufriou M, Hadjipanayis A, Iasonides M, Atamyan VN, Pierides A, Anastasiadou-Christophidou, Tanteles GA and Phylactou LA. Ann Hum Genet. doi: 10.1111/ahg.12087; 79(1):20-7, 2015. 
6. High carrier frequency of 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency in Cyprus.  Phedonos AAP, Shammas C, Skordis N, Kyriakides TC, Neocleous V and Phylactou LA. Clinical Genetics. 84: 585-588, 2013.
7. Identification and characterization of a novel X-linked AVPR2 mutation causing partial Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus: a case report and review of the literature. Neocleous V, Skordis N, Shammas C, Efstathiou E, Mastroyiannopoulos NP and  Phylactou LA. Metabolism clinical & Experimental Jul; 61(7):922-30, 2012.
8. Epidemiology of type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Cyprus; the rising incidence in the dawn of the 21st century. Skordis N, Efstathiou E, Kyriakides TC, Savvidou A, Savva SC, Phylactou LA, Shammas C and Neocleous V. Hormones. 11(1):86-93, 2012.
9. COL4A3/COL4A4 mutations producing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and renal failure in thin basement membrane nephropathy. Voskarides K, Damianou L, Neocleous V, Zouvani I, Christodoulidou S, Hadjiconstantinou V, Ioannou K, Athanasiou Y, Patsias C, Alexopoulos E, Pierides A, Kyriacou K, Deltas C. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2007; 18 (11): 3004-16.
10. The physical maps for sequencing human chromosomes 1, 6, 9, 10, 13, 20 and X. Bentley DR, Deloukas P, Dunham A, French L, Gregory SG, Humphray SJ Mungall AJ, Ross MT, Carter NP, Dunham I, Scott CE, Ashcroft KJ, Atkinson AI. Aubin K, Beare DM, Bethel G, Brady N, Brook JC, Burford DC, Burril WD, Burrows C, Butler AC, Carder C, Catanese JJ, Clee CM, Clegg M, Cobley V, Coffey AJ, Cole GG, Collins JE, Conquer JS, Coopper RA, Culley KM, Dawson E, Dearden FL, Durbin RM, PJ de Jong, Dhami PD, Earthrowl ME, Edwards CA, Evans CA, Gillson CJ, Ghori J, Green L, Gwiliam R, Halls KS, Hammond S, Harper GL, Heathcott RW, Holden JL, Holloway E, Hopkins BL, Howard PJ, Howell GR, Huckle EJ, Hughes J, Hunt PJ, Hunt E, Ismajlowicz M, Jones CA, Joseph SS, Laird G, Langford CF, Lehvaslaiho MH, Leversha MA, McCann DT, McDonald LM, McDowall J, Maslen GL, Mistry D, Moschonas NK, Neocleous V, Pearson DM, Philips KJ, Porter KM, Prathalingham SR, Ramsey YH, Ranby SA, Rice CM, Rogers J, Rogers LJ, Sarafidou T, Scott DJ, Sharp DJ, Shaw-Smith, CJ, Smink LJ, Soderlund C, Sotheran EC, Steingruber HE, Sulston, JE, Taylor A, Taylor RG, Thorbe AA., Tinsley E, Warry GL, Whittaker A, Whittaker P, Williams SH, Wilmer TE, Wooster R, & Wright CL. NATURE. Vol. 409: 942-943, 15 February, 2001.