Dr Thales Papagiannakopoulos

Thales Papagiannakopoulos, PhD, is a cancer biologist whose research focuses on the interplay between tumour-intrinsic oncogenic pathways and systemic host physiology. His work integrates molecular genetics, metabolism, and neuro-immune signalling to understand how brain–body communication, stress responses, and metabolic rewiring influence tumor progression, therapeutic response and systemic physiology. Using genetically engineered mouse models, functional genomics, and systems-level approaches, his laboratory investigates how tumor-derived signals engage neural circuits to shape disease progression. Within InterCANCEption, his group studies the brain–body mechanisms by which cancer drives neurological and behavioral symptoms, including sickness behaviors commonly observed in cancer patients, with the goal of identifying therapeutic strategies that improve both survival and quality of life.