معرفی
Dr. Irini Pateraki is a PhD Assistant Professor and currently serves as a senior scientist/special consultant in the Section for Plant Biochemistry within the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Her research focuses on elucidating biosynthetic pathways of high-value bioactive terpenoids and developing sustainable production methods for compounds beneficial to human wellbeing.
Dr. Pateraki's educational background includes:
- Bachelor of Science in Agricultural University of Athens, Greece (1992)
- Diploma for Specialized Post-graduate studies in Horticulture Science and Technology from Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Greece (1993)
- Ph.D. from Group of Biotechnology of Pharmaceutical Plants, Lab of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (2007)
Her research centers on plant specialized metabolites, particularly terpenoids, which represent the largest and most diverse class of plant compounds. Dr. Pateraki employs advanced technologies including transcriptomics, metabolomics, and biochemical tools to elucidate biosynthetic pathways of high-value bioactive terpenoids. A significant focus is placed on understanding regulatory points of terpenoid biosynthesis and implementing these findings for heterologous production of high-value compounds through sustainable and environmentally friendly methods, with special emphasis on plant-based and light-driven heterologous biosynthesis.
Dr. Pateraki's research group has made significant scientific contributions, including elucidating the entire forskolin biosynthetic pathway and functionally expressing it in yeast cells, which produced forskolin titers at approximately 40 mg/L. Her work also includes identifying enzymes involved in pathways of ingenol angelate, ginkgolides, dopaminergic diterpenoids, and triptolide. Currently, her group is profiling diterpenoid composition across approximately 300 species of the Australian desert plant genus Eremophila and elucidating pathways for target diterpenoids based on observed bioactivities.
Her notable scientific achievements include:
- Marie Curie Fellow (IEF)
Dr. Pateraki has published extensively with 47 research outputs. Her recent publications demonstrate expertise in combinatorial biochemistry, enzyme engineering, and heterologous production systems. She has successfully demonstrated the modular nature of terpenoid biosynthetic pathways, enabling the production of novel compounds not found in nature, and has developed light-driven heterologous biosynthesis systems using photosynthetic organisms like algae and cyanobacteria.
She leads the High-Value Phytochemicals research group at the University of Copenhagen, focusing on sustainable production of bioactive compounds with pharmaceutical applications. Her work bridges fundamental plant science with practical applications for producing valuable compounds with medicinal properties.
