Dimitrios Anastasakis is an Assistant Professor of Medical Chemistry in the Department of Basic Sciences at the School of Medicine, University of Crete. His research spans a broad spectrum—from fundamental biochemistry and tool development to translational medicine—with a central focus on RNA–protein interactions and their role in gene regulation. His lab investigates how the misregulation of these interactions contributes to disease, while also developing innovative methodologies to study RNA function in complex biological systems.
Dr. Anastasakis received his BSc in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from the University of Thessaly. He held a postgraduate research appointment at Yale University’s School of Medicine, where he worked on FSH receptor signaling. He went on to complete his MSc and PhD at the University of Patras, before joining the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his postdoctoral training in the RNA Molecular Biology Laboratory at NIAMS, where he studied mechanisms of RNA regulation. His work has been published in leading journals including Cell, Molecular Cell, and Nucleic Acids Research, and he is the recipient of an EMBO Installation Grant.
Education
Research Interests
My research focuses on uncovering the dynamic and multifaceted roles of RNA in health and disease, with a particular emphasis on RNA-protein interaction networks and RNA G-quadruplexes (rG4s). We aim to elucidate how these intricate molecular structures are regulated and how their dysregulation contributes to disease. By combining computational, molecular, cellular, and structural biology approaches, we address fundamental questions about RNA function in both physiological and pathological contexts. Our lab is dedicated to developing cutting-edge methodologies, such as high-resolution mapping of RNA-protein interactions and innovative techniques for studying RNA and RNA-protein interaction dynamics in cellulo, to provide transformative insights into the molecular mechanisms governing RNA biology
Memberships
EMBO Young Investigator/ Installation Grantee
