UNIC Health advances medical and veterinary research

Our faculty and students continued to advance medical and veterinary research through peer-reviewed publications , presentations at international conferences and competitive research funding to support innovative new projects.

PUBLICATIONS

Medical School

  • George Kaponides, Clinical Professor of Neurology, was part of the first medical team in Cyprus to administer donanemab, a new treatment that slows the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (read more).
  • The third edition of ‘Best Practice in Labour and Delivery’, edited by Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, was published by Cambridge University Press (read more).
  • A study led by Professor Vered Aharonson, Programme Lead for Digital Healthcare and Dr Teddy Lazebnik, Assistant Professor at the University of Haifa’s Department of Information Systems, found that people who suffer from prolonged stress are more likely to report having received a cancer diagnosis (read more).
  • A scientific review by Panagiotis Karanis, Professor of Anatomy, in collaboration with researchers from Greece and Turkey, highlighted how climate change is creating compounded challenges for livestock systems in the Mediterranean (read more). At the same time, a major review led by Prof. Karanis brought together, for the first time, all available data on ticks and tick-borne pathogens in Greece over the past century (read more).
  • A study co-authored by Annita Achilleos, Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology and Developmental Genetics, which has found the key gene behind early embryonic cell development, was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Communications (read more).
  • Professor of Neurology Theodoros Kyriakides co-authored a new clinical guideline published in the European Journal of Neurology, the official journal of the European Academy of Neurology (read more).
  • Dr Panayiota Nakou, Lecturer in Medical Ethics is the editor, alongside Professor Rebecca Bennett, of a book titled ‘Science Fiction and the Ethics of Artificial Wombs: Reproductive Futures’ (read more). Dr Nakou also published a new article in Clinical Ethics, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal published by Sage Publications, which calls for a rethink of routine prenatal screening (read more).
  • Dr Daniela Toumazi, Dr Christiana Charalambous, Prof Constantina Constantinou and Nicoletta Nicolaou, all from the Department of Basic and Clinical Sciences at the Medical School, published a review article in Neuro-Oncology Advances examining how the gut microbiota may influence the development and treatment of glioblastoma, the most aggressive primary brain tumour in adults (read more).
  • MD graduates from the University of Nicosia and Örebro University, together with faculty from both medical schools, co-authored a cross-border study published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Medical Education (read more).
  • Professor Stelios Georgiades, Professor Aleksandar Jovanovic, and Dr Nicoletta Nicolaou from the UNIC Medical School, Dr George Loucaides from the School of Life and Health Sciences, and first author, PhD candidate with the Medical School, Benson Botchway, contributed to a new publication on a promising approach to Alzheimer’s disease research that examines how brain activity and heart function can be studied together to support earlier detection and monitoring (read more).
  • Constantinos Koshiaris, Assistant Professor of Medical Statistics, has contributed to an international study published in the medical journal Nature Medicine, aimed at improving the early identification of children at high risk of severe infection in low-resource settings (read more). Dr Koshiaris is also the senior author of a University of Oxford study, published in The Lancet Digital Health, that developed a new tool to predict an individual’s risk of developing serious muscle disorders associated with statin treatment (read more).
  • A special issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, edited by Dimitrios Kanakis, Professor of Pathology, has been republished by MDPI Books as a volume titled ‘Traumatic Brain Injury/Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy as Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease: Physics and Molecular Biology in the Genesis of Neurodegeneration?’ (read more).
  • Professor Dimitrios Kanakis edited a special issue of the journal Biomedicines (MDPI) entitled ‘Diagnosis, Pathogenesis and Treatment of CNS Tumors’, bringing together international expertise on some of the most significant advances in the field of neuro-oncology (read more).
  • Zoi Dorothea Pana, Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology, contributed to the development of the new international recommendations on the prevention and control of the fungus Candida auris in paediatric settings (read more).

School of Veterinary Medicine

  • Associate Professor Konstantinos V. Arsenopoulos and Assistant Professor Manos C. Vlasiou, together with DVM student Dionie Smith Diakidi, co-authored a review article published in the peer-reviewed journal Water that examines the role of water in livestock and poultry nutrition (read more).
  • Konstantinos V. Arsenopoulos, Evroula Hapeshis, Elias Papadopoulos, and Manos C. Vlasiou co-authored a study in the Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, investigating how interactions between veterinary medicines may influence drug residues in milk (read more).

NEW PROJECTS

GREEN-TRIALS project

The GREEN-TRIALS project aims to create training materials that introduce practical ways to embed environmental sustainability into academic clinical research. The proposed curriculum will target postgraduate students in medicine, pharmacy, biomedicine, and health professions, while adapted workshop materials will support the upskilling of existing clinical study staff. GREEN-TRIALS is coordinated by Masaryk University, in collaboration with University College Cork, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network – ECRIN, and the University of Nicosia (Prof Zoi Dorothea Pana).

SOLACE+

SOLACE+ will accelerate and harmonise the implementation and scale-up of high-quality low-dose CT (LDCT) lung cancer screening programmes across EU Member States, building on the results and experience of the SOLACE consortium. The programme is funded by the EU4Health Programme (EU4H). In Cyprus, a pilot will be initiated as an initial step toward developing and implementing a national lung cancer screening programme, in close collaboration with key national stakeholders, including the Cypriot Pulmonology and Radiation Society, the Pancyprian Medical Association, and other relevant professional and healthcare organisations (Prof Zoi Dorothea Pana).

CLEAR

The CLEAR project aims to improve food and water biosafety in Cyprus by focusing on the detection, monitoring and control of waterborne and foodborne parasites, particularly Cryptosporidium sp. and Giardia duodenalis (C. & G.), in leafy greens and water resources, to safeguard both public health and the environment. The project addresses major challenges in environmental health and disease prevention using the One Health Concept, which is consistent with Cyprus’s Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3Cy-7.4.2). The overall goal is to improve food and water safety through novel diagnostic technology and cross-sector collaboration to increase Cyprus’ capability for parasite monitoring and prevention, while lowering health risks associated with contaminated food and water (Prof Panagiotis Karanis).

Other research projects

  • Dr Nikolas Perentos, Assistant Professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine, has secured a VISION ERC Grant from the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) for a pioneering study investigating how the brain supports spatial navigation and memory under natural conditions (read more).
  • The School of Veterinary Medicine is participating in a newly funded research project in collaboration with veterinary partners in Norway examining regenerative agriculture and microbiome science, with a focus on farm animals and soil health (read more).

CONFERENCES

  • Prof Zoe Polizopoulou, Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine, participated in a panel discussion alongside fellow Deans of veterinary schools during the 2026 General Assembly of the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE), hosted by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona on 28–29 May 2026 (read more). She also participated in the 2nd Small Animal Veterinary Specialty Congress in Shenzhen, China, held from July 28–31, 2026 (read more).
  • Vered Aharonson, Professor of Medical Physics and Programme Lead for Digital Healthcare at the Medical School, took part in the 10th European Conference of Psychiatry and Mental Health in Galați, Romania (read more).
  • Souzana Achilleos, Assistant Professor and MPH Programme Coordinator at the Medical School, participated in the 4th Scientific Symposium on Emerging Climatic and Environmental Health Risks, held on 19–20 January 2026 at the Hellenic Mediterranean University and co-hosted with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) (read more).
  • Dr Manos C. Vlasiou, Assistant Professor at the University of Nicosia School of Veterinary Medicine, presented research on novel zinc–polyphenol complexes as potential antimicrobial candidates at the 16th International Congress of the European Association for Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology (EAVPT) in Thessaloniki (read more).