Biomedical Research Foundation Academy Of AthensAcademy Of Athens
Scientific Personnel

Efstathios Efstathios Michalopoulos, PhD
Staff Research Scientist B'

Telephone : +30 210 6597 331
e-mail : smichal@bioacademy.gr

Hellenic Cord Blood Bank


Brief Bio

Dr. E. Michalopoulos was actively engaged in the field of medical engineering during his undergraduate studies, and  attained his BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences, and then continued his postgraduate studies at the Liverpool University.  His PhD was multidisciplinary, and involved surgery, biology and engineering, while simultaneously having active collaborations with beneficiaries including the National Blood Service Tissue Services and Leeds General Infirmary.  As a member of the Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (iMBE) his contribution to the iMBE has included original experimental design and measurements.

After completion of his doctoral studies, he was offered a postdoctoral appointment at the Hellenic Cord Blood Bank. At the postdoctoral level, he investigated the isolation of human hematopoietic stem cells from cord blood as well as the isolation, differentiation and the cryopreservation of human mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord Wharton jelly. This work successfully led to the development of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Bank in the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens.

During the last few years, Dr. E. Michalopoulos has been using his training and experience in biomedical engineering and is researching, along with his colleagues, the expansion of hematopoietic stem cells from cord blood, the ability of angiogenesis of human umbilical cord blood cells in a three dimensional environment and the regenerative role of adipose stem cells and bone marrow in animal models

He is responsible for the Regenerative Medicine laboratory, which has been established in the Hellenic Cord Blood Bank since 2010. The main role of this laboratory is the expansion of human mesenchymal cells from bone marrow their administration to patients with MS and ALS, as well as the isolation of mesenchymal cells from adipose tissue and administration to patients with cartilage defects and osteoarthritis. Additionally, the involvement of Dr. Michalopoulos in the field of tissue engineering and decellularisation protocols has led to awarding doctorates to students, to create tracheal vascular grafts and nerve guides.

In recent years Dr. Michalopoulos has become an expert quality management strategist, he offers his keen business acumen and superior quality management skills with an inclination to meet quality standards for the Hellenic Cord Blood Bank products at every stage. As a Quality Manager he has not only maintained the utmost in quality at the Hellenic Cord Blood Bank in process and production, but also has created a number of polices and standard operating procedures to revamp current outdated and lacking methods of production.  He ensures that everyone is doing the best at every step of the procedure to end up with most qualitative product.

From 2012, and following specific and difficult training, Dr. Michalopoulos has become an accredited inspector for the Foundation of Accreditation of Cellular Therapy and so far has inspected 12 cord blood banks globally.

Dr. Michalopoulos is also a member of the Hellenic Society of Immunology and has participated in more than 15 conferences as guest speaker on issues concerning the application of hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells, as well as issues related to regenerative medicine.

Selected Publications

Andreas Papassavas, Theofanis K. Chatzistamatiou, Efstathios Michalopoulos, et al. “Quality Management Systems Including Accreditation Standards”. In C. Stavropoulos-Giokas, D. Charron and C. Navarrete (eds.) Cord Blood Stem Cells Medicine, Chapter 17, pp.230-247, London: Academic Press, 2015

M. Katsimpoulas, L. Morticelli, E. Michalopoulos, I. Gontika, C. Stavropoulos-Giokasc A. Kostakis, A. Haverich, and S. Korossis. Investigation of the Biomechanical Integrity of Decellularized Rat Abdominal Aorta. Transplantation Proceedings, 2015, 47, 1228-1233

Sophia Andriopoulou, Ioannis Anagnostakis, Efstathios Michalopoulos, Effrosyni Panagouli, Theofanis Chatzistamatiou, Andreas Papassavas, Catherine Stavropoulos-Giokas. Attached Segments and Cryovial Samples as a Useful Tool in Cord Blood Banking Quality Control. J Hematol. 2015;4(1):125-130

P. Mallis, I. Gontika, T. Poulogiannopoulos, J. Zoidakis, A. Vlahou, E. Michalopoulos, T. Chatzistamatioua, A. Papassavas, and C. Stavropoulos-Giokas. Evaluation of Decellularization in Umbilical Cord Artery. Transplantation Proceedings, 2014; 46, 3232-3239.

Theofanis K. Chatzistamatiou, Andreas C. Papassavas, Efstathios Michalopoulos, Christos Gamaloutsos, Panagiotis Mallis, Ioanna Gontika, Effrosyni Panagouli, Stauros L. Koussoulakos, and Catherine Stavropoulos-Giokas. Optimizing isolation culture and freezing methods to preserve Wharton’s jelly’s mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) properties: an MSC banking protocol validation for the Hellenic Cord Blood Bank. Transfusion. 2014

Zografou A, Papadopoulos O, Tsigris C, Kavantzas N, Michalopoulos E, Chatzistamatiou T, Papassavas A, Stavropoulou-Gioka C, Dontas I, Perrea D. Autologous transplantation of adipose-derived stem cells enhances skin graft survival and wound healing in diabetic rats.. Ann Plast Surg. 2013 Aug;71(2):225-32
Anagnostakis I, Papassavas AC, Michalopoulos E, Chatzistamatiou T, Andriopoulou S, Tsakris A, Stavropoulos-Giokas C Successful short-term cryopreservation of volume-reduced cord blood units in a cryogenic mechanical freezer: effects on cell recovery, viability, and clonogenic potential. Transfusion. 2013 May 21.

Michalopoulos, E., et al, Fisher, J. and Ingham, E, (2011) Development of methods for studying the differentiation of hMSC under cyclic compressive strain Tissue Engineering Part C Methods Nov 3

Ε. Michalopoulos, Th. Chatzistamatiou, Ch. Saliagopoulou, A. Thiakos, A. Papassavas, C. Stavropoulos-Giokas. Expansion of MSCs seeded in biological scaffolds. Journal of Reproductive Immunology - J REPROD IMMUNOL, vol. 81, no. 2, pp. 170-171, 2009.

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