Dr. Hab. Atanas G. Atanasov, PhD

Position

Assistant professor in Department of Biotechnology and Nutrigenomics

Zainteresowania badawcze / Research areas

Molecular Medicine, Nutrigenomics, Digital Health, Health Sciences, Open Innovation, Biotechnology, Natural Products, Science Communication, Molecular Pharmacology.

Dorobek naukowy: / Research outcome

Over 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications, cited over 9000 times, with h-index of 54 (data from Google Scholar, accessed on 21st of July, 2021).

Wybrane osiągnięcia naukowe / Selected scientific achievements

1. Identified and characterized molecular mechanisms underlying bioactivities of diverse natural products, including erythrodiol from olive oil, xanthohumol from hops, bilirubin, piperine from black pepper, leoligin from edelweiss, isosilybin A from milk thistle, magnolol and honokiol from Magnolia officinalis, [6]-shogaol from ginger, etc.
2. Elucidated the molecular mechanism determining the reaction direction of the enzyme 11(beta)-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) type 1 (cortisone reductase).

3. Identified diverse new-scaffold agonists of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma (clinical target for the treatment of diabetes type 2) and inhibitors of the pro-inflammatory NF-kB signaling pathway.

4. Identified a novel mechanism related to protein stability that is causative for the clinical manifestation of the apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME) syndrome.

5. Characterized diverse molecular mechanisms and pathways regulating macrophage cholesterol efflux (physiological process of relevance for cardiovascular disease), which might be targeted by small molecules with therapeutic potential.

6. Performed diverse scientific studies on optimal applications of social media networks such as Twitter in the context of science communication.

Realizowane projekty badawcze / Realised research projects

1. Principle Investigator (PI) of the project “Increase of macrophage cholesterol efflux by natural products – molecular mechanisms”, funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
2. Co-PI of the project “EU FP-7 TCM-VASC: Discovery of bioactive natural compounds from Traditional Chinese Medicines used against Cardiovascular Disease”, funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Program (EU FP7).
3. Receiver of a fellowship from Roche Research Foundation (RRF) awarded for the project “NADPH generation in the endoplasmic reticulum - a potential new target in metabolic syndrome and diabetes”.

Działalność organizacyjna, upowszechnianie wiedzy i inne / Organisational activity, dissemination and others

Editor-in-Chief of Current Research in Biotechnology (#CRBIOTECH, Elsevier) and distinguished promoter of digital science communication (including use of social media, e.g., a >100 000-followers Twitter channel) and open innovation (e.g., through the executive administration of open innovation platforms focused on Digital Health and Patient Safety (#DHPSP) and on Natural Product Research (#INPST)).

Wybrane publikacje / Selected publications

1. ATANASOV AG, Zotchev SB, Dirsch VM; International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce, Supuran CT. Natural products in drug discovery: advances and opportunities. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2021 Mar;20(3):200-216. doi: 10.1038/s41573-020-00114-z.

2.Yeung AWK, Kletecka-Pulker M, Eibensteiner F, Plunger P, Völkl-Kernstock S, Willschke H and ATANASOV AG (2021) Implications of Twitter in Health-Related Research: A Landscape Analysis of the Scientific Literature. Front. Public Health 9:654481. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.654481

3. Huminiecki L, Horbańczuk J, ATANASOV AG (2017) The functional genomic studies of curcumin. Semin Cancer Biol. Apr 6, 2017. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2017.04.002. PubMed PMID: 28392463.

4. Braicu C, Mehterov N, Vladimirov B, Sarafian V, Nabavi SM, ATANASOV AG, Berindan-Neagoe I. Nutrigenomics in cancer: Revisiting the effects of natural compounds. Semin Cancer Biol. 2017 Jul 1. pii: S1044-579X(17)30171-2. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2017.06.011. PubMed PMID: 28676460.

5. ATANASOV AG, Waltenberger B, Pferschy-Wenzig EM, Linder T, Wawrosch C, Uhrin P, Temml V, Wang L, Schwaiger S, Heiss EH, Rollinger JM, Schuster D, Breuss JM, Bochkov V, Mihovilovic MD, Kopp B, Bauer R, Dirsch VM, Stuppner H (2015). Discovery and resupply of pharmacologically active plant-derived natural products: A review. Biotechnol Adv, 2015 Dec;33(8):1582-614.

6. ATANASOV AG, Ignatova ID, Nashev LG, Dick B, Ferrari P, Frey FJ, Odermatt A (2007). Impaired protein stability of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2: a novel mechanism of apparent mineralocorticoid excess. J Am Soc Nephrol 18:1262-1270.

7. ATANASOV AG, Nashev LG, Tam S, Baker ME, Odermatt A (2005). Organotins disrupt the 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2-dependent local inactivation of glucocorticoids. Environ Health Perspect 113(11):1600-6.

PATENT: Use of leoligin derivatives for inhibiting proliferation of smooth muscle cells and as antiinflammatory drug to treat hyperplasia e.g. intimal hyperplasia, stenosis and restenosis, and for coating and impregnating stent and implant (Patent Number: WO2015196228-A1).

Linki do profili i stron naukowych / Links to professional profiles

https://twitter.com/_atanas_
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Atanas_Atanasova
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=7102991067
https://www.linkedin.com/in/atanasgatanasov/