Michalis Agathokleous

Michalis Agathokleous is an Assistant Professor at the Children's Medical Center Research Institute (CRI) within the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. His research focuses on the interplay between cellular metabolism and cell identity, particularly in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), leukemia cells, and immune responses to infection.

• B.A. and Ph.D. in Embryonic Retinal Development from University of Cambridge
• Former 1851 Research Fellow at UT Southwestern with Sean Morrison
• Current lab develops innovative techniques for measuring metabolites in rare cells

Research interests span cell metabolism, hematopoietic stem cell biology, leukemia, and immunometabolism. His work has revealed distinct metabolic signatures across hematopoietic lineages and uncovered novel roles for metabolites in stem cell function and oncogenesis. Recent research connects schistosome infection with hematopoietic changes and explores glycolytic enzymes in immune cell behavior during COVID-19.

Scientific awards include:

• Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Scholar (2017)
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation 'A' Award (2018)
• American Society of Hematology Scholar (2020)
• $2M+ CPRIT grant for cancer research (2025)

Dr. Agathocleous' lab has trained diverse researchers including Ph.D. students Sojeong Jun and Jacob Zielke, Graduate Student Landon Nguyen, and ASH Scholar Yafeng Li. His team has developed methodologies for analyzing metabolite profiles in rare cell populations.

Current projects investigate:

• Stem cell metabolism
• Infection-induced metabolic shifts
• Leukemia cell metabolic dependencies
• Host response to parasitic infections
• Role of antioxidants in cancer progression
• Metabolic regulation of hematopoiesis