Eva Kritikou

Diverse role in Scientific Project Leading and Management, as well as Business Development activities supporting various contract types (IDD, FTE, FFS)

Targeting mast cells as immune regulators in atherosclerosis: •Developed flow cytometry-based methods to study mast cell phenotypes in human atherosclerosis •Defined a novel pathway through which mast cells shape adaptive responses in atherosclerosis •Explored the cellular interactions between mast cells and other immune cell populations (NKT cells, CD4 T cells) •Examined the therapeutic potential of lipid receptors in atherosclerosis development Collaborations included: •NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition by MCC950 reduces atherosclerotic lesion development in apoE deficient mice (van der Heijden et al. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2017) •CD8+ T-cells contribute to lesion stabilization in advanced atherosclerosis by limiting macrophage content and CD4+ T-cell responses. (van Duijn et al. Cardiovasc Res. 2019) Gave 4 international and 6 national presentations and supervised 3 MSc (6-9 months) and 4 BSc internships along with 5 laboratory practical assignments in the BSc program for Biopharmaceutical Sciences - Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research.

Examined the effect of IL-17 secreting immune cells in the tumor progression and survival of humans suffering from cervical cancer. (Th17 cells represent a beneficial response, while neutrophil IL-17 is associated with poor prognosis in squamous cervical cancer. Punt et al. Oncoimmunology 2015)

Investigated the proliferation and apoptosis of neural progenitor cells in the mouse brain cortex, using the Cre-LoxP system. (Geminin regulates cortical progenitor proliferation and differentiation. Spella et al. Stem Cells 2011)