SIMOS Lab

Unit of Integrated Basic and Translational Research in IBD and Metabolic Disorders

Primary focus

Simos Laboratory focuses on unraveling the molecular mechanisms involved in gut inflammation, with particular attention to how SGLT2 inhibitors -alongside other emerging therapeutics- affect inflammasomes such as NLRP3, NLRP6, and NLRP10. We incorporate nanotechnology into our work by developing and refining biocompatible, targeted delivery systems to enhance the precision and effectiveness of anti-inflammatory strategies. In addition, we study diabetes and contribute to the development of innovative diagnostic devices that support early detection and better disease management. Our team works closely with clinicians specializing in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ensuring that our research in immunometabolism and therapeutic engineering is clinically informed and positioned for translation into improved patient care.

Yannis V. Simos, Assistant Professor

Dr. Yannis V. Simos is an Assistant Professor of Physiology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ioannina. He holds a B.Sc. in Dietetics and Nutrition from Harokopio University of Athens, an M.Sc. in Human Nutrition (Sports Nutrition) from the University of Glasgow, and a Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Ioannina. At the University of Ioannina, Dr. Simos teaches undergraduate courses in Human Physiology (Physiology of the Gastrointestinal System), Physiology of Exercise and Nutrition, and Introduction to Nanomedicine, as well as postgraduate courses in Basic Biomedical Sciences (Exercise Physiology) and Environmental Sciences and Education for Sustainability (Prebiotics and Probiotics). He is a founding member of the Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology Research Group (NNRgUOI), which investigates the use of nanomaterials for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Research

  • Investigation of the NLRP3, NLRP6, and NLRP10 Inflammasomes as Prognostic Biomarkers in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Clinical Study of Molecular, Immunological, and Histological Analysis of Human Biopsies
  • Nanocarrier-Based Targeted Delivery of SGLT2 Inhibitors: Metabolic and Cellular Impact in Colorectal Cancer
  • Targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome with SGLT2 inhibitors as a therapeutic approach for colorectal cancer
  • Innovative therapeutic strategy for managing Diabetes Mellitus via transdermal delivery of SGLT2 inhibitors encapsulated in biocompatible nanoparticles
  • Evaluation of adherence to a MIND-based dietary intervention and its impact on individuals with cognitive impairment

Selected Publications

  • 2026

    • Antrea-Maria Athinodorou, Eirini Papanikolaou, Panagiota Zygouri, Konstantinos Spyrou, Ioannis Panagiotis Athinodorou, Patra Vezyraki, Haralambos Stamatis, Konstantinos I. Tsamis, Lampros Lakkas, Georgios S. Markopoulos, Dimitrios Peschos, Yannis V. Simos. Nanoparticle-based drug carriers in transdermal and topical delivery: An in vivo review of anti-inflammatory efficacy, Biochemical Pharmacology, 244, 2026, 117567,
      https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2025.117567
    • Panagiota Zygouri, Grigorios Tsiodoulos, Marilena Lianou, Antrea-Maria Athinodorou, Eirini Papanikolaou, Yannis V. Simos, Konstantinos Spyrou, Mohammed Subrati, Angela S. Kaloudi, Konstantinos Tsamis, Lampros Lakkas, Zili Sideratou, Fotios K. Katsaros, Dimitrios Peschos, Vasileios Ragos, and Dimitrios P. Gournis. In Situ Development of Quercetin-Enhanced Layered Double Hydroxides for Targeted Osteosarcoma Therapy. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering Article ASAP DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.5c01290 

    2025

    • Eirini Papanikolaou, Antrea- Maria Athinodorou, Michaela Patila, Panagiota Zygouri, Konstantinos Spyrou, Mohammed Subrati, Christina Alatzoglou, Evangelia Dounousi, Dimitrios P. Gournis, Konstantinos T. Kotoulas, Ming Xie, Andrew D. Burrows, Gareth Cave, Dimitrios Peschos, Konstantinos Tsamis, Lampros Lakkas, Haralambos Stamatis, and Yannis V. Simos. N-Doped Graphene for Biomedical Applications: A Comparative Biocompatibility Assessment of Green and Chemical Exfoliation. Chemical Research in Toxicology 2025 38 (9), 1509-1523. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.5c00167

Lab members

Discover the researchers of the Laboratory

Eirini Papanikolaou

Postdoctoral

Dr. Eirini Papanikolaou is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Laboratory of Physiology of the University of Ioannina. She holds a B.Sc. in Biological Applications and Technologies and an M.Sc. in Basic Biomedical Sciences. She completed her Ph.D. in 2024, focusing on nanomaterial- based platforms for glucose monitoring and hypoglycemic drug delivery. Her postdoctoral research builds on this work by exploring innovative transdermal delivery systems for the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin using biocompatible nanomaterials. She has strong experience in in vitro and in vivo models and has contributed to several peer- reviewed publications as well as national and international research projects.

Pavlos Cristodoulou

PhD student

Pavlos Christodoulou graduated from the University of Ioannina Medical School in 2023 and has been a member of the Simos Lab since July 2024. He is currently a resident in Urology, combining clinical training with research in urological oncology. His research focuses on bladder cancer, with emphasis on the identification and clinical relevance of prognostic biomarkers in papillary bladder lesions. His work investigates tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), lymphocyte and monocyte subsets expressing CD16/CD56 and CD14, and systemic inflammatory indices including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR). Flow cytometry of peripheral blood markers is employed as a core methodological approach, with the aim of integrating these parameters into comprehensive prognostic models for improved risk stratification in bladder cancer.

Agni Klonari

PhD student

Agni Klonari is a research specialist who graduated from the University of Ioannina in 2022 with a degree in Biology. She holds an M.Sc. in Basic Biomedical Sciences, during which she conducted inflammation-focused research examining the anti-inflammatory properties of dapagliflozin encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles for intestinal applications. In 2025, she began her Ph.D. in the Simos Lab, where she contributes to ongoing research on novel cancer therapeutics for colorectal cancer, specifically investigating the targeting of the NLRP3 inflammasome using SGLT2 inhibitors.

Chrysoula Giourga

PhD student

Chrysoula Giourga holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the International Hellenic University (IHU) and an MSc in Diabetes Mellitus Care. Her MSc thesis focused on the correlation between vitamin B12 levels and cognitive function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a population from Epirus. In 2026, she began her Ph.D. in the Simos Lab, where she is involved in ongoing research on the evaluation of adherence to a MIND-based dietary intervention and its impact on individuals with cognitive impairment.

Napolon Pazi

PhD student

Napolon holds a degree in Biology with research training in general physiology, molecular biology, and neurobiology. During his M.Sc. in Biomedical Sciences, he studied the development and differentiation of ependymal cells in the mammalian brain, focusing on the role of GemC1, a transcription regulator, in radial glial cell commitment to the ependymal lineage, using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing, in vivo and in vitro models, and immunofluorescence approaches. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. while simultaneously training as an undergraduate medical student. His doctoral research focuses on the role of the NLRP3, NLRP6, and particularly NLRP10 inflammasomes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), aiming to identify their potential as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers through integrated molecular, immunological, and transcriptomic analyses of human colonic biopsies, supporting the development of personalized therapeutic strategies.

Kleopatra Rafti

PhD student

Kleopatra Rafti is a research specialist who graduated from the University of Ioannina in 2019 with a degree in Materials Science and Engineering. She holds an M.Sc. in Basic Biomedical Sciences from the Department of Medicine, completed within the Pharmacology Laboratory, during which she conducted research focusing on the cytotoxicity of oxindole-based anti-angiogenic molecules derived from the sunitinib prodrug SAP, specifically SAP-S-S-Py and SAP·HCl, aiming to achieve a more effective and targeted action against colorectal cancer cells and tumors that overexpress various tyrosine kinase receptors. In 2025, she began her Ph.D. in Physiology in the Simos Lab, where she contributes to ongoing research on novel therapeutics for colorectal cancer, with a specific focus on the nanocarrier-based targeted delivery of SGLT2 inhibitors and their metabolic and cellular impact.

Konstantinos Papakonstantinou

MSc student

Konstantinos Papakonstantinou holds a B.Sc. in Biology (2022) from the University of Patras and is currently pursuing an M.Sc. in Biomedical Sciences. His research interests focus on the NLRP3 inflammasome and its therapeutic potential in digestive disorders. He is also a fifth-year Medical Student at the University of Ioannina.

Ioanna Skorda

MSc student

Ioanna Skorda is a registered nurse who graduated from the Technological Educational Institute of Ioannina in 2002. She has completed advanced professional training and certification examinations to obtain the Nursing Specialty in Internal Medicine. Building upon her clinical background, she is currently pursuing her M.Sc. in Basic Biomedical Sciences, where she is engaged in graduate-level research focusing on personalized nutrition and the microbiome. Under the supervision of Assistant Professor Ioannis Simos her thesis explores the complex interactions between dietary patterns and microbial composition, aiming to contribute to emerging precision-nutrition strategies and their potential applications in health and disease.

Avgi Tampaki

Undergraduate student

Avgi Tampaki is an undergraduate student studying in the Department of Biological Applications and Technologies at the University of Ioannina. Her undergraduate research focuses on biocompatible nanoparticles incorporating empagliflozin and their anti-inflammatory properties in human colon cancer cell lines.

Androniki Giannousa

Undergraduate student

Androniki Giannousa is an undergraduate student in the Department of Biological Applications and Technologies at the University of Ioannina. In 2025, she joined the Simos Lab to carry out her undergraduate thesis. In her undergraduate research she studies the biological activity of ulvan-based hydrogels enriched with oxidized hydroxytyrosol derivatives for biomedical applications in wound healing and as a potential therapeutic approach for colon cancer.

Antrea-Maria Athinodorou

PhD student

(supervised by Emeritus Professor Patra Vezyraki) Antrea Maria Athinodorou is a PhD student researching nanoparticles, with a particular focus on layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as carriers for the targeted transdermal delivery of anti-inflammatory compounds and the evaluation of their toxicity. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Applications & Technology from the University of Ioannina (2017–2022), where her thesis examined the biological role of carbon nanotubes as carriers of antioxidant molecules in embryonic cell cultures overexpressing human HSP70. She also earned a Master’s degree in Basic Biomedical Sciences (Applied Biomedicine) from the University of Ioannina (2022–2024),

Lab alumni

Discover past researchers of the Laboratory

  • MSc 

    Antrea-Maria Athinodorou

    Biocompatible nanoparticles as carriers for the transdermal delivery of active compounds

     

    Agni Klonari

    Cellular and molecular investigation of the biological activity of dapagliflozin nanoparticles

     

    Maria Papa

    The role of nanotechnology in the advancement of diabetes mellitus treatment over the last decade

     

  • Undergraduate 

    2024-2025

    -Eleni Ntarladima

    Targeted action of dapagliflozin nanocarriers through the TLR4/NF-κB and Nrf2/HO-1 pathways for the treatment of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract

    -Eirini Vasileiadou

    Study of the anti-inflammatory action of dapagliflozin via the TLR4/NF-κB and Nrf2/HO-1 pathways in colon cells

    -Aikaterini Mantzouka

    Therapeutic potential of empagliflozin in inflammation-induced colorectal cancer

    -Anastasia Panagiotakou

    Innovative chitosan systems with pomegranate bioactive compounds for the acceleration of wound healing

     

    2023-2024

    -Elisavet Doulgeridou

    The effect of nutrition on patients with dementia

    -Spyridoula Papathanasiou

    Effect of gallic acid–loaded chitosan nanoparticles on oxidative stress inhibition in colon cells

    -A.E. Gougoustamou

    In vitro evaluation of the cytotoxicity of gallic acid–modified carbon nanoparticles on human keratinocytes