Irene Dereki is a Ph.D. candidate in the Laboratory of Biology at the Hellenic Open University, specializing in targeted epigenome editing using CRISPR/dCas9 technologies to regulate gene expression. She holds an Integrated Master’s Degree in Pharmacy from the University of Patras and an MSc in Chemical and Biomolecular Analysis, both awarded with excellence. Her doctoral research centers on the evaluation of a targeted CRISPR-epigenetic regulation system applied to the ZBTB7A gene to reactivate fetal hemoglobin expression as a therapeutic strategy for β-hemoglobinopathies.

Supported by the IKY-Fulbright Visiting Research Student grant, Irene will partner with a U.S. laboratory at the College of Pharmacy at UT Austin, specializing in DNA biology to utilize state-of-the-art facilities, advanced computational resources, and expert mentorship. Building upon her foundational expertise in CRISPR/dCas9 systems technology, she will expand her research by shifting toward non-B DNA structures to investigate how local epigenetic modifications and chromatin states influence alternative DNA conformations and stability at key genomic targets within the β-globin and ZBTB7A regulatory regions. Furthermore, she will apply the dCas system to Z-DNA-forming regions and collaborate on developing a novel platform that utilizes non-B DNA structures to regulate gene expression.