Dr Andreani Odysseos
is the Director of Biomedical Research at EPOS-Iasis R&D, a vibrant nanobiotechnology Cyprus-based SME and Head of the Translational Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology Lab through a special academic appointment at UCY. She is leading an interdisciplinary and trans-sectoral team for translational nanomedicine, engineered cell therapies and hybrid (cell+electronics) theranostic systems, interfacing Molecular Medicine with Electrical and Electronic Engineering. She is a graduate of the University of Athens Medical School and conducted her research and clinical post-doctoral studies at the Dana – Farber Cancer Institute, Discipline of Tumor Immunology Harvard Medical School and the Fred-Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, US. She has been the recipient of national and international funding amassing €⁓ 6M over the past 10 years. These include MSCAs, IMI, Research for Enterprise grants and a most prestigious EIC FETOpen grant on the management of Brain Malignancies with Externally Controllable Molecular Communications (ECMC). The trans-national and trans-sectoral contributions of Prof. Odysseos have been recognized with the International Academy of Medical Education Award (IAMED). She has been active in the Health-eu initiative on deep data and deep sensors, 4 COST Actions and Research Policy and Scholarly Activities in major EU bodies for translational cancer research and biotech innovation in molecular communications and drug development, such as: Founding Member and Vice-Chair – European Federation of Biotechnology-Section of Medicines Development; Vice-Chairman, Cluster Management Group, EUREKA Cluster on New Safe Medicines Faster; evaluator in EC FP7, H2020, ERC, EUROSTARS Program – EUREKA Organization, Independent Expert Panel (Nominated by Cyprus Government), Norway Grants, Ministry of Science of Poland, STRATEGMED Program, EuroNanoMed- Invited Expert, 2017-2020. She has recently joined the EITHealth, a ‘knowledge and innovation community’ (KIC) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Her evolving interest and expertise in the role of nanonetworks and ECMC in the management of Cancer has been acknowledged with invited reviewing for ACM-NanoCom and IEEE Globecom. She is currently establishing a pan-European network for the advanced application od Artificial Intelligence in the management of malignancies.
Title:
Bionanomachine Diagnostics and Nanonetwork Therapeutics in Brain Malignancies: Emerging
Trans-disciplinary approaches with Bio-nanodevice Interfaces
Abstract:
Networks of bio-nanomachines that communicate through Molecular Communication (MC) are expected to perform complex functionalities within biological systems. Understanding the mechanisms by which malignant cells form bio-nanomachine networks and controlling network connectivity can contribute to deciphering mechanisms of tumor evolution and progression and provide new nanonetwork-based therapeutic approaches. In the MC framework, leader (or sender) bio-nanomachines disperse in their environment to detect a target (e.g., a tumor) and distribute information molecules encoding the location information about the target in the form of concentration gradient of molecules. Follower (or receiver) bio-nanomachines detect the concentration gradient of molecules and move directionally toward the target location.
Primary brain malignancies are highly aggressive, therapy resistant brain tumors with poor prognosis due to frequent recurrence. This grim prognosis is greatly attributed to a plethora of cell sub-populations and released natural nanoparticles comprising multiplexed and inter-communicating molecular networks defining inherent tumor heterogeneity. New roadmaps in the management of brain tumours and other complex pathologies are emerging in the H2020 FETOpen GLADIATOR with the establishment of the supra-discipline of “bio-nanomachine diagnostics” and renewing ideas towards “nanonetwork therapeutics”. This entails autonomous monitoring of the spatiotemporal disease evolution and recurrence and generate an appropriate reprogramming intervention (genetic modification halting the disease) leading to effective therapy. Autonomous monitoring and treatment systems with minimal human intervention, exploiting the biological processes of tumor reprogramming, are expected to be laying the grounds for future treatments of human diseases. Such approaches are based on hybrid (biological and electronic) miniature scale units to interface with the biological environment of the brain and communicate at a molecular level allowing diagnosis, monitoring and therapy. Rationally designed Exosomes (EXs), acting as natural nanoparticles or bio-nanomachines can build nanonetworks that collaboratively interfere with the underlying disease pathways in the biological environment, thus providing breakthrough therapeutic interventions.
Sustainable interfaces of outmessaging and inmessaging communication channels consisting of (i) external miniature wearable devices with enabling communication interfaces and (ii) hybrid implantable diagnostic system with host derived vital reporter cells and optoelectronics-, radiofrequencies- or ultrasound-based sensors, promise to provide a radical shift in cancer therapy and Precision Clinical Oncology, ushering the emergence of the “Externally Controllable Nanonetwork Therapeutics” field. Successful outcomes will lead to new modalities to investigate, diagnose and cure brain pathologies, taking Brain Machine Interfaces (BMIs) to a drastically new level, where computing systems could detect, localize and control molecular activities bidirectionally. This vision brings together the concept of the Internet of Bio-Nano Things and BMIs. Such autonomous system will ensure minimum human intervention, paving the way to radically new brain-computer connectivity approaches.