The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
McGovern Medical School
Department of Internal Medicine - Rheumatology

My research program investigates the immune mechanisms driving rheumatic diseases, with a focus on antigen processing and presentation, autoreactive T cells, and autoantibodies. I study how dendritic cells process autoantigens and activate pathogenic T cells, using innovative platforms such as the Natural Antigen Processing Assay (NAPA), which we developed to identify naturally processed immunogenic epitopes. This approach has revealed clinically relevant T cell responses in systemic sclerosis and immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, correlating with disease activity and uncovering shared T cell receptors within affected tissues. Building on these findings, my current NIH funded work focuses on autoantigen-specific CD8? T cells, particularly those targeting POLR3 in systemic sclerosis, and explores their role in linking autoimmunity and cancer.

In parallel, I investigate autoantibodies in autoimmune muscle diseases and systemic rheumatic conditions, defining their clinical relevance, immunologic mechanisms, and associations with disease phenotypes. My ongoing studies aim to improve diagnostic precision and guide personalized treatment strategies by characterizing novel autoantibodies in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

This research combines clinical investigation, immunology, and translational approaches, offering students opportunities to work on projects ranging from the effect of different triggers on antigen processing, epitope mapping and T cell receptor analysis to biomarker discovery and clinical data integration. Ultimately, my goal is to translate these insights into better diagnostics and therapies for patients with rare autoimmune diseases.

PubMed

Education & Training

MD, University of Athens, 2006