Apostolos Mourtzinos, MSc

During my academic career I have been exposed to multiple research topics in the fields of biology and biomedical sciences, varying from researching mechanisms of plant immunity to studying macromolecular interactions in human diseases. Currently, my research interests concern the role of human LINE-1 retrotransposons in healthy aging and disease. In order to improve our understanding of how activation of LINE-1s contribute to disease, we employ affinity capture and mass spectrometry along with other biochemical approaches to identify interactions responsible for disease progression and to dissect its mechanisms of action. Despite my focus on LINE-1 biology, I have been involved in several other projects, including the characterization of affinity-captured DNAJB1-PRKACA protein interactome in fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, a pediatric liver cancer, whose oncogenesis is driven by a genetic fusion event between DNAJB1-PRKACA.