Dr. Andria Michael, BSc, MSc, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow

Andria holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Biomedical Science from the University of Surrey, Guildford, UK, an M.Sc. in Cancer from University College London (UCL), London, UK, and a Ph.D. in Biology from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany.

Her current research is dedicated to unraveling the mechanisms underlying affective behavioral symptoms, particularly depression and anxiety, which often manifest after prolonged abstinence from opioids. She is currently focused on examining the efficacy of rapid-acting antidepressants in alleviating the maladaptive behaviors that emerge during prolonged opioid abstinence.

Research Interests: Her research interests are centered around neuro-regeneration, with a specific focus on the roles of angiogenesis and immunology in this complex process. She is particularly interested in exploring the involvement of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF-A) in the context of neuro-regeneration and synaptic plasticity. Her goal is to understand how fluctuations in VEGF-A levels might impact the onset of various neurodegenerative diseases, as well as conditions such as depression and opioid addiction.

Selected Publications:

• Onisiforou, A., Koumas, M., Michael, A., Zanos, P. Selective transcriptomic recovery by (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine in opioid-abstinent mice: Machine learning identifies predictive biomarkers. bioRxiv. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.04.657935.
• Michael, A.*, Onisiforou, A.*, Georgiou, P., Koumas, M., Powels, C., Mammadov, E., Georgiou A.N., Zanos, P. (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine prevents opioid abstinence-related negative affect and stress-induced reinstatement in mice. British Journal of Pharmacology, 2025, In Press. * Equal contribution. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.70018.
• Onisiforou, A., Michael, A., Apostolakis, M.,  Mammadov, E., Mitka, A., Kalatta, M.A., Koumas, M., Georgiou A., Chatzittofis, A., Panayiotou, G., Gergiou, P., Zarate, C.A., Zanos P. Ketamine and hydroxynorketamine as novel pharmacotherapies for the treatment of Opioid-Use Disorders. Biological Psychiatry. In Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.09.008
• Préau, L., Lischke, A., Merkel, M., Oegel, N., Weissenbruch, M., Michael, A., Park, H., Gradl, D., Kupatt, C., le Noble, F. Parenchymal cues define Vegfa-driven venous angiogenesis by activating a sprouting competent venous endothelial subtype. Nature Communications, 2024, 15:3118. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47434-x
• Michael, A.*, Onisiforou, A.*, Georgiou, P., Koumas, M., Mammadov, E., Zanos, P. (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine facilitates extinction and prevents emotional impairment and stress-induced reinstatement in morphine abstinent mice. bioRxiv (2023), 12.07.570550. * Equal Contribution. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.07.570550.
• Wehner, D., Tsarouchas, M.T, Michael, A., Hasse, C., Weidinger, G., Reimer, M.M., Becker, T., Becker, C.G. Wnt signaling controls pro-regenerative Collagen XII in functional spinal cord regeneration. Nature Communications. 8: 126 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00143-0.

Contact Info:

Email: michael.andria@ucy.ac.cy

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8193-8423