ESR2: VASILEIOS FOUGIAXIS

Discovery of potent modulators of ERAP/IRAP by fragment-based drug discovery or Kinetic Target guided synthesis


  • Scientific Background

While pursuing my B.Sc. degree in Pharmacy I was fascinated by the close relation between organic chemistry, biochemistry and therapeutics, as well as the significance of pharmaceutical research and evolution in modern society. During my medicinal chemistry M.Sc. studies in the University of Copenhagen, I managed to further expand my knowledge spectrum concerning the design and development of potential drug substances. Rational methods and core courses were coupled with the use of modern in silico methods of drug design with focus on peptide and small-molecule generation. I conducted my master’s thesis project in the Frølund research group at the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology with an overall aim to explore the orthosteric pocket of the newly identified GHB high-affinity binding target, which is associated with various brain diseases, when dysregulated.


  • CAPSTONE project

Fragment-based drug-discovery (FBDD) and kinetic target guided synthesis (KTGS) are innovative strategies to discover hits and leads. To provide novel tools for basic research & drug discovery, the project is aiming to identify new chemical templates of ERAP inhibitors through screening a collection of fragments and optimizing hits by fragment linking or growing and through KTGS ans subsequent multiparametric optimization.


  • Supervisory team

  • Contact

vasileios.fougiaxis.etu[at]univ-lille.fr

  • More on Vasilis' project