Sgourou Argyro

School of Science and Technology

Office Building D

sgourou@eap.gr

2610367544 (office), 2610367538 (biology laboratory)

Argyro Sgourou is Associate Professor at School of Science and Technology (SST) of the Hellenic Open University (HOU) and Director of the Biology Laboratory.

She holds a PhD in “Molecular Biology and Genetics” obtained from Medical School, University of Patras, under the funding of the “States Scholarship Foundation”(ΙΚΥ) of Greece. She has acquired the know-how of molecular biology emerging techniques during 2 EMBO research fellowships to the Laboratory of Gene Structure and Expression National Institute for Medical Research, UK and the Dept. of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King’s College, London. Postdoctoral studies and research on Gene Therapy Biotechnology issues were conducted at Medical School of Patras and the Dept. of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King’s College, London, funded by a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship.

Current academic activities/positions:

• Teaching duties and coordination of Modules in Undergraduate and Postgraduate Courses, in SST, HOU
• Supervisor of MSc dissertations and PhD Thesis
• Associate director of the MSc Course “Chemical and Biomolecular Analysis”, SST, HOU
• Member of the tripartite Academic Committee supervising MSc Courses “Epidemiology”, Interdisciplinary “Bioinformatics and Neuroinformatics” and “Precision Medicine and Novel Therapies”, SST, HOU.
• Member of the committees for Internal Course Evaluation (OMEA) and Academic Affairs of SST, HOU
• Member of the “Research Ethics Committee”, HOU
• Member of research team at HOU for the development of “Onlabs”, a 3D Biology Virtual Educational software for Distance Laboratory Training (http://www.slideshare.net/EADTU/onlabs-3d-game-for-distance-laboratory).
• Registered as Certified Assessors-Experts of the “Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI)”
• Evaluation of scholarship applications for the “States Scholarship Foundation” of Greece
• Reviewer for international scientific journals
• Director of the Biology Laboratory, SST, HOU (http://biologylab.eap.gr/)

EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH: Development and assessment of distance educational material.

4 original research papers, 2 book chapters, supervisor of a PhD Theses on the subject: “Assessment methods for the evaluation of users’ performance in Biological Virtual Labs”.

RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF LIFE SCIENSES

• Study of genetic and epigenetic background of human disorders. Detection of genomic variants and determination of methylation patterns across critical regulatory genomic elements by Pyrosequencing technology. Chromatin immunoprecipitation protocols (ChiP, ChIP-seq). Detection of regulatory RNAs (miRNAs). Analysis of genome mutations with Next generation Sequencing (NGS) technology.
• Study of epigenetic mechanisms’ interrelationship. Study of gene’s expression transcriptional regulation. Quantitative Real Time and Digital PCR protocols.
• Biotechnological interventions and construction of vectors carrying exogenous genes for transgenic cultures development. Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry (FACS-cell sorting) applications.
• 2019-today: 3 active PhD students, 1 post-doc