Dr Sterghios Moschos

Professor

Department: Applied Sciences

Trained as a Molecular Biologist at the University of Portsmouth, Sterghios did his PhD in Pharmaceutics on nasal vaccines with Prof. Oya H. Alpar at the Centre for Drug Delivery Research, School of Pharmacy, which is now part of UCL. After a 3-year post-doc on genetic adjuvants and siRNA formulation science, he joined Prof. Mark A. Lindsay, Maria Belvisi and Peter J. Barnes at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, to explore cell penetrating peptide-mediated siRNA delivery to the lungs. Here, he expanded this work to biodefence (with dstl), and describing the microRNA regulatory networks in airway inflammatory disease.

He was then headhunted in 2008 by Pfizer Global Research and Development at Sandwich, Kent, to lead oligonucleotide therapeutics research for respiratory indications. Working parallel to Art Krieg’s RNAi-focused Pfizer Research Technology Centre, and closely with colleagues within the Pfizer Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Pfizer Antivirals and Tacere (later acquired by Benitec), Sterghios was instrumental in ensuring the safety of DNA-directed RNAi gene therapy for hepatitis C virus, pioneering inhaled administration of oligonucleotide drugs for liver and kidney diseases, and developing novel methods for reducing animal use in pharmacology research by up to 66%. His work was recognised as breakthrough by the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, defining pharmaceutical sector strategy in terms of antisense and RNAi therapies for the lung.

Joining the University of Westminster in 2011 as a Reader in Industrial Biotechnology and Biochemistry, Sterghios established Westminster Genomic Services around the then emerging Ion Torrent next generation sequencing platform to receive the first Certified Service Provider status in the UK, offering GLP-grade internal and external research services. Devising the RACE-SEQ method now established across the RNAi industry, and crucial in the accelerated initiation of first-in-human clinical trials for DNA-directed RNAi, he was the first to digitally quantify the imprecision of human Argonaute 2 activity. Working closely with Prof. Izzet Kale (Dept. Electronic Engineering, University of Westminster), Sterghios also developed PulmoScreen, a novel, patent-protected exhaled breath condensate collection device platform. Responding to the emerging need of the West African Ebolavirus outbreak, Sterghios established and lead the EbolaCheck consortium to conceive, design, deliver and validate with 12 months the first nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) screening platform. The technology is suited for laboratory-free use at the point of need in resource-limited settings, is now available commercially and for future use in screening symptomatic patients for Ebolavirus disease, and under further development for pre-symptomatic differential diagnosis of multiple haemorrhagic fevers.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Engineering Approaches for Cellular Therapeutics and Diagnostics, Torun, H., Agrawal, P., Markwell, C., Fu, Y., Todryk, S., Moschos, S. 6 Apr 2023, Emerging Drug Delivery and Biomedical Engineering Technologies , Boca Raton, US, Taylor & Francis
A multinational Delphi consensus to end the COVID-19 public health threat, Lazarus, J., Romero, D., Kopka, C., Karim, S., Abu-Raddad, L., Almeida, G., Baptista-Leite, R., Barocas, J., Barreto, M., Bar-Yam, Y., Bassat, Q., Batista, C., Bazilian, M., Chiou, S., Del Rio, C., Dore, G., Gao, G., Gostin, L., Hellard, M., Jimenez, J., Kang, G., Lee, N., Matičič, M., McKee, M., Nsanzimana, S., Oliu-Barton, M., Pradelski, B., Pyzik, O., Rabin, K., Raina, S., Rashid, S., Rathe, M., Saenz, R., Singh, S., Trock-Hempler, M., Villapol, S., Yap, P., Binagwaho, A., Kamarulzaman, A., El-Mohandes, A., Moschos, S. 10 Nov 2022, In: Nature
Bacterial Adaptation to Venom in Snakes and Arachnida, Esmaeilishirazifard, E., Usher, L., Trim, C., Denise, H., Sangal, V., Tyson, G., Barlow, A., Redway, K., Taylor, J., Kremyda-Vlachou, M., Davies, S., Loftus, T., Lock, M., Wright, K., Dalby, A., Snyder, L., Wuster, W., Trim, S., Moschos, S. 29 Jun 2022, In: Microbiology spectrum
Beyond GalNAc! Drug delivery systems comprising complex oligosaccharides for targeted use of nucleic acid therapeutics, O'Sullivan, J., Muñoz-Muñoz, J., Turnbull, G., Sim, N., Penny, S., Moschos, S. 14 Jul 2022, In: RSC Advances
The Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis-associated single nucleotide polymorphism rs35705950 is transcribed in a MUC5B Promoter Associated Long Non-Coding RNA (AC061979.1), Neatu, R., Enekwa, I., Thompson, D., Schwalbe, E., Fois, G., Abdelaal, G., Veuger, S., Frick, M., Braubach, P., Moschos, S. 8 Dec 2022, In: Non-coding RNA
The Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis-Associated SNP rs35705950 Is Transcribed in a MUC5B Promoter Associated Long Non-Coding RNA (AC061979.1), Enekwa, I., Neatu, R., Fois, G., Frick, M., Moschos, S. 1 May 2022, In: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
A new threat from an old enemy: Re-emergence of coronavirus (Review), Docea, A., Tsatsakis, A., Albulescu, D., Cristea, O., Zlatian, O., Vinceti, M., Moschos, S., Tsoukalas, D., Goumenou, M., Drakoulis, N., Dumanov1, J., Tutelyan, V., Onischenko, G., Aschner, M., Spandidos, D., Calina, D. Jun 2020, In: International Journal of Molecular Medicine
Bioengineering bacterial outer membrane vesicles as delivery system for RNA therapeutics targeted to lung epithelial cytosols, Eftychiou, E., Brown, N., Cheung, W., Fois, G., Frick, M., Moschos, S. 12 May 2020, ASGCT 23rd Annual Meeting
Comprehensive Analysis of Drugs to Treat SARS‑CoV‑2 Infection: Mechanistic Insights Into Current COVID‑19 Therapies (Review), Nitulescu, G., Paunescu, H., Moschos, S., Petrakis, D., Nitulescu, G., Ion, G., Spandidos, D., Nikolouzakis, T., Drakoulis, N., Tsatsakis, A. Aug 2020, In: International Journal of Molecular Medicine
Measuring the action of oligonucleotide therapeutics in the lung at the cell type specific level by Tissue Disruption and Cell Sorting (TDCS): In vivo cell type-specific oligonucleotide PK/PD, Graves, H., Evans, S., Fauler, M., Frick, M., Moschos, S. 2019, Oligonucleotide-based Therapies, New York, NY, Springer

PGR Supervision

Joseph O'Sullivan Resolving the intracellular molecular therapy bottleneck for airways disease Start Date: 15/10/2018 End Date: 23/06/2023
Eleni Eftychiou Bioengineering Outer Membrane Vesicles as Delivery Systems for Biotherapeutics Targeted to Lung Epithelial Cytosols Start Date: 01/10/2017 End Date: 16/12/2021
Ifeanyi Enekwa Single Transcriptional Unit Gene-Editing for Inheritable Lung Disease Start Date: 01/02/2018 End Date: 24/03/2023

Qualifications

PhD October 01 2004
Molecular Biology BSc (Hons) July 10 1999
Fellow (FHEA) Higher Education Academy (HEA) 2017
Fellow Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) 2015
Fellow (FRSC) Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) 2014
Full Member Genetics Society 2012
Full Member Biochemical Society 2005
Full Member Society for General Microbiology (SGM) 1998

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