Nik Georgopoulos

I am a cell biologist with expertise in epithelial cell biology and immunology, as well as having a strong interest in understanding the mechanisms of diseases such as cancer. My main research focus is to utilise fundamental cell biology knowledge to design novel therapeutic interventions to combat disease and improve patient quality of life.

I received my BSc (Biochemistry & Genetics) and Ph.D. at the University of Leeds. This was followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at the Cancer Research UK Centre (St James’ Hospital, Leeds) and an EPSRC-funded fellowship in the Jack Birch Unit of Molecular Carcinogenesis (University of York). I then took my first academic post as a Lecturer, followed by Senior Lecturer and then Reader at my previous institution. In 2024, I moved to the Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre (School of Biosciences & Chemistry) at Sheffield Hallam University as an Associate Professor in Cell Biology & Transforming Lives Fellow.

My cancer research focuses on understanding how the process of cancer development influences cellular proliferation/growth, differentiation and response to cell death signals, which has led to the development of a novel platform of cancer therapeutics (ThanatoCure®). My epithelial cell biology-related research aims to explore the cellular mechanisms of a) chemotherapy-induced hair loss (alopecia), b) chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, and c) defective wound healing. This will permit the refinement of existing medical devices and the design of novel technologies to provide improved therapeutic interventions in order to transform the quality of life for patients worldwide.