office
Biology Building, Γ.224δ
telephone
+30 2810 394095, Lab: +30 2810 394096
e-mail
mitraki@materials.uoc.gr

Research Interests

  • the proteins as biomaterials; bioinspired materials;
  • engineering and design of fibrous biomaterials;
  • self-assembling peptides;
  • protein folding and assembly;
  • protein engineering and production
  • adenovirus proteins

A chemist and biochemist by training, I have been working for more than 30 years on the folding, assembly and structure of natural fibrous proteins, such as phage P22 tailspikes and adenovirus fibers. I subsequently got interested in using them as models for the design of novel fibrous materials. I am particularly interested in translating fundamental structural knowledge from natural fibrous proteins into concrete integration strategies and applications in the area of fibrous bio-nano-materials. I especially focus on the study and use of amyloid-like, self-assembling peptide materials as technological objects and their integration in innovative applications. These efforts rely not only on biochemical and structural methodologies, but also on the fostering of interdisciplinary collaborations with colleagues from other disciplines (eg laser science) that develop techniques to manipulate, assemble and position these materials in a controlled manner. I am also continuing to work on adenoviral proteins and their self-assembly with particular focus on their use as transfer vehicles for small molecules, nucleic acids and enzymatic moieties targeted for delivery applications.

Short Curriculum Vitae

BS Chemistry, University of Thessaloniki, Greece, 1981. PhD Biochemistry, Universite de Paris-Sud, Orsay, France, 1986 (work on enzyme folding, assembly and aggregation with Professor Jeannine Yon-Kahn). Post-doctoral associate (1987-1991) and then Research Scientist (1991-1994) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, U.S.A. (work on folding and assembly of fibrous phage proteins with Professor Jonathan King). Research scientist at the Institut de Biologie Structurale in Grenoble, France (French National Research Center) from 1995 to 2004. Habilitation, Universite Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France, in 2003, for work on structure, folding and assembly of beta-structured fibrous proteins and their self-assembling peptides. Since September 2004, Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, Greece. Affiliated Research Scientist with the Institute for Electronic Structure and Laser, FORTH. Academic Editor, PLoS ONE (2009-2014, www.plosone.org). Editorial Board of the Journal "Biomolecules" (2019-). Since September 2014, Professor, Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, Greece.

Selected Publications

Book

"Plenty of Room for Biology at the Bottom: An Introduction to Bionanotechnology", 2nd Edition (2013), by Ehud Gazit and Anna Mitraki, ISBN: 978-1-84816-930-2, Imperial College Press (World Scientific Publishing). Shortlisted in the Postgraduate Textbook category of the Society of Biology Book Awards 2014.

Jonathan King’s 80th birthday Festschrift

"Protein Folding and Aggregation, Mentoring, and a Molecular Food Recipe" (with permission from the MIT Faculty Newsletter)