Maria Karpouchtsi joined the University of Basel as a PhD student in 2022.  She holds a master’s degree in Drug Research from the University of Bonn, Germany, where she specialized in medicinal chemistry.  Her master’s thesis focused on the synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of selective NPP3 inhibitors. Prior to this, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Pharmaceutical Research from the University of Freiburg, Germany, where she investigated the importance of YchF in the synthesis of sigma-factors in E. coli.

Maria’s current research centers on a previously developed innovative high-content screening assay that quantifies inhibitory activity of the oncogenic MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways in melanoma cells. More than >2 thousand crude plant extracts from an in-house library along with >25 thousand pure natural and synthetic compounds from an EU-OPENSCREEN collaboration were screened. This work led to the identification of numerous active compounds, which were confirmed as downstream inhibitors of ERK and/or AKT.

Maria’s ongoing efforts aim towards target identification within the ERK-AKT pathway network. By aspiring to advance these newly discovered inhibitors into lead compounds for future drug development, her research contributes to expanding the current drug arsenal for advanced-stage (III/IV) malignant melanoma, addressing the urgent need for more effective targeted therapies.