Dr. Polymnia Louka - Translational Neuropharmacology Lab (Zanos Lab)

Dr. Polymnia Louka, MEng, MSc, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow

Dr. Polymnia Louka holds an MEng (Hons) in Medical Engineering from Queen Mary University of London, an MSc in Advanced Neuroimaging from the University College London, Institute of Neurology, and an industrial case PhD in Bone Biology (BBSRC fully funded fellowship) from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, in collaboration with Evgen Pharma. She worked in London for a couple of years as a project manager in clinical trials (neuro, oncology, MSK). After her return to Cyprus, she also worked as an R&D project manager in the pharmaceutical sector and as a project manager in EU-funded projects (PRIMA, Horizon, KA2).

Dr. Louka is currently a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Zanos Lab, where her ONISILOS Co-Fund project investigates the effects of ketamine and its metabolites on depression-induced bone impairment, with the goal of identifying therapeutic interventions that could improve both mental and bone health. Her research focuses on the intersection of bone health and neurobiology, particularly examining how depression and its treatments affect bone physiology. During her PhD at the Royal Veterinary College, she investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying bone remodeling in response to a leading pharmaceutical compound at the preclinical stage (SFX-01). Her expertise spans cell culture techniques, advanced imaging, and data analysis in bone research.

Dr. Louka is passionate about interdisciplinary research and has a strong background in translational science, having worked on projects bridging imaging, pharmacology, and skeletal biology. Her work has been published in leading scientific journals, and she continues to engage in collaborative research with international partners.

Selected Publications:

Louka, P.; Ferreira, N.; Sophocleous, A. Sulforaphane’s Role in Osteosarcoma Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Preclinical Studies. Biomedicines 2025, 13, 1048. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/biomedicines13051048
Louka P, Orriss IR, Pitsillides AA. High bone mass in mice can be linked to lower osteoclast formation, resorptive capacity, and restricted in vitro sensitivity to inhibition by stable sulforaphane. Cell Biochem Funct 2022; 40: 683-693. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbf.3734.
Louka P, Orriss IR, Pitsillides AA. Stable sulforaphane targets the early stages of osteoclast formation to engender a lasting functional blockade of osteoclastogenesis. Cells 2024; 13(2): 165. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13020165.
Yiannakas M, Grussu F, Louka P, Prados F, Samson RS, Battiston M, Wheeler-Kingshott CAM. Reduced field-of-view diffusion-weighted imaging of the lumbosacral enlargement: a pilot in vivo study of the healthy spinal cord at 3T. PLoS One 2016; 11(10): e0164890. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0164890.

Contact info:

E-mail: polymnialouka92@gmail.com

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0553-0110