Bertsias

Biography

Bertsias George DOB: 24/02/1979 (Patra, Greece) Work address: 71003 Votes - Stavrakia, Heraklion, Crete, Greece Phone: (+30) 6944 201559 (mobile), (+30) 2810 394635 (work) E - mail: gbertsias@uoc.gr Current position Assistant Professor in Rheumatology - Clinical Immunology , University of Crete (UoC) , Medical School Staff physician , Department of Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology and Allergy, University Hospital of Heraklion (inpatients, consultations, “Collagen vascular diseases” outpatient clinic) Principal Investigator , Laboratory of Autoimmunity and Inflammation, UoC , Medical School and Division of Infections & Immunity, IMBB - FORTH Education & previous positions 201 4 Lecturer in Rheumatology - Clinical Immunology, University of Crete (UoC) , Medical School 2012 Post - doc fellow ( FP7 - TransPOT: Building Excellence in Translational Medical Research), UoC , Medical School 2012 Staff physician and trainee , Department of Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology and Allergy, University Hospital of Heraklion 2011 F ellow ship , National Institutes of Health, Arthritis & Rheumatism Branch (NIAMS) and Inflammatory Diseases Section, Genetics and Genomics Branch, Human Genome Institute (NHGRI), Bethesda (MD) 2011 Board Certified in Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion 2009 Ph.D. ( t hesis: “ Expression of PD - 1 and its ligands in human tissues and animals and its role in immune tolerance ” ) , Cum Laude , UoC, Medical School 2006 Master’s degree (M.Sc.) “ Molecular Basis of Human Disease ” , Cum Laude , UoC , Medical School 2004 Internship, Primary Care Service (General Hospital of Sitia , Sitia) 2002 M edical D egree , UoC, Cum Laude Awards & s cholarships 2010 60th Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, 2010 - 3rd Interdisciplinary Meeting ( Nominated by the “A. Onassis” Foundation)

Research Interest

Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases affect collectively 1 to 2% of the adult population with predisposition to young and middle-aged women, and are associated with significant morbidity risks and increased direct and indirect health care costs. The etiopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases is complex and involves genetic and environmental factors. The focus of our research is on the genomics and regulation of immune activation through costimulatory receptors in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, focusing on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). More specifically, we are interested in: a) Exploring the transcriptome in various immune cell subsets in the peripheral blood and affected tissues from patients and animal models with autoimmunity