SEMINARS OF DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
UNIVERSITY OF CRETE
We invite you to attend the event
“From Photons to Concepts: Chemical biology at the Interface of cellular dynamics, AI, and Therapeutic Design”
Prof. Nikos S Hatzakis
Department of Chemistry & Nanoscience center, University of Copenhagen, Denmark,
Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for optimized oligo escape and control of disease, University of Copenhagen Denmark (Center director)
Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for 4D cellular dynamics, University of Copenhagen Denmark (Center director)
Visiting professor and lecturer Harvard medical school, Department of paediatrics, Boston children hospital
THURSDAY / JULY 16, 2026 / 12:00
The lecture will be hosted on the Seminar room (Department of Chemistry)
Abstract
Modern chemistry is increasingly driven by our ability to observe molecular and cellular dynamics directly and transform these observations into quantitative mechanistic understanding. In this seminar, I will present three research directions from my laboratory that illustrate how advanced microscopy, single-molecule biophysics, and artificial intelligence can bridge molecular observations with rational therapeutic design.
I will start with the design of new class of ligands pharmaceutics that chemically re-program the metabolic hub cytochrome P450 reductase (POR), which controls the activity of numerous cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in steroid, drug. By combining high-throughput functional screening, single-molecule biophysics, computational modeling, and machine learning, we establish an AI-guided discovery pipeline in which screening data continuously inform the design of successive generations of ligands/pharmaceutics. Rather than eliminating enzyme activity, these molecules bias the dynamic conformational landscape of POR, enabling selective control of metabolism and providing a framework for the development of precision therapeutics targeting metabolic disorders.
Next, I will discuss how to optimize the efficacy of pharmaceutics. I will start with the high-throughput single-particle screening platform capable of analyzing approximately I million individual nanoparticles per hour, and how we utilize this information to optimize their cargo loading, targeting and release. The latter involves, a deep-learning framework for quantitative single-particle tracking. By extracting mechanistic information directly from microscopy data, DeepSPT reveals how molecular interactions, regulatory cues, and small molecules reshape intracellular trafficking pathways and ultimately determine cellular function.
Short CV
Professor Nikos Hatzakis’ laboratory works at the interface of chemistry, single-molecule biophysics, advanced microscopy, AI, and therapeutic delivery. The group develops quantitative approaches to visualize and understand biochemical processes in complex biological environments, with particular focus on ligand–protein interactions, conformational dynamics, intracellular transport, nanoparticle delivery, endosomal escape, and metabolic regulation.
By combining fluorescence spectroscopy, super-resolution and live-cell microscopy, chemical and biophysical assays, and machine-learning-based image analysis, the lab connects molecular structure, dynamics, and function across scales, from individual molecules and supramolecular assemblies to living cells. A central aim is to use these measurements to reveal how chemical composition, molecular recognition, and nanoscale organization control biological outcome.
