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Vassilios Papadopoulos, D.Pharm., Ph.D. Professor, Department of Medicine Tel. 514-934-1934 ext. 44580 vassilios.papadopoulos [at] mcgill.ca |
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Papadopoulos is a graduate of the School of Pharmacy of the University of Athens. He completed his PhD in Health and Life Science at Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris and post-doctoral studies in France and Australia. In 1988, he joined the faculty of Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he rose through the ranks to become Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Associate Vice President for research and then Director of the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization. In 2007, he moved to Montreal as the Executive director and chief scientific officer of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. He is Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University and holds a Canada Research Chair in Biochemical Pharmacology and the Phil Gold Chair in Medicine. Dr. Papadopoulos has published over 300 papers, holds numerous patents and serves on national and international advisory committees. He is an elected foreign member of the National Academies of Medicine and Pharmacy in France, fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
Keywords
Steroids, neurosteroids, pharmacology, drug discovery, endocrinology, reproductive biology, toxicology, translocator protein, phthalates, Alzheimer's disease
Research or Clinical Activities
The focus of Dr. Papadopoulos’ research is in the pathophysiology and treatment of diseases related to altered steroid hormone synthesis, including endocrine pathologies, male reproductive disorders, neuropathologies, and cancer. His work has led to better understanding of steroidogenesis in testis and brain, and to the identification of the molecular basis of diseases in which steroids play a determining role. He has used biochemical, pharmacological, cellular and molecular methods as well as in vitro and in vivo functional studies in animal models to study the structure and function of proteins involved in cholesterol movement into mitochondria. His laboratory has shown that there is a common, fundamental and conserved mechanism of cholesterol import into mitochondria that dictates the rate of steroid formation. This has led to the understanding that changes in this mechanism could lead to tissue-specific pathologies and disease-modifying therapies. During these studies his laboratory developed new methods, and generated intellectual property and materials that were distributed to academic and pharmaceutical laboratories throughout the world. Moreover, he worked closely with the industry to move concepts from the bench to the bedside.
Selected Recent Publications
Aghazadeh Y, Martinez-Arguelles DB, Fan J, Culty M, Papadopoulos V 2014 14-3-3ε protein adaptor and mitochondrial VDAC1 interactions drive luteinizing hormone-independent androgen formation in the male. Mol Therapy (Nature), 22:1779-1791
Li J, Daly E, Campioli, E, Wabish M, Papadopoulos V 2014 De novo synthesis of steroids and oxysterols in adipocytes. J Biol Chem, 289:747-764
Martinez–Arguelles DB, Campioli E, Lienhart C, Fan J, Culty M, Zirkin BR, Papadopoulos V 2014 In utero exposure to the endocrine disruptor di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate induces long-term changes in gene expression in the adult male adrenal gland. Endocrinology, 155:1667-1678
Rone MB, Midzak AS, Issop L, Rammouz G, Jagannathan S, Fan J, Ye X, Blonder J, Veenstra T, Papadopoulos V 2012 Identification of a dynamic mitochondrial protein complex driving cholesterol import, trafficking, and metabolism to steroid hormones. Mol Endocrinol, 26:1868-1882
Rammouz G, Lecanu L, Aisen P, Papadopoulos V 2011 A lead study on oxidative stress-mediated dehydroepiandrosterone formation in serum: the biochemical basis for a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. J Alzheim Dis, 24:5-16