Multi-Omics Characterization of Germ Cell Tumor Biology and Therapeutic Vulnerabilities with Krinio Giannikou, PhD and Aditya Bagrodia, MD | SFG CrossLab Meeting

Dr. Krinio Giannikou is a molecular biologist and geneticist with expertise in both wet and dry lab research. She joined Florida Atlantic University as Assistant Professor (tenure track) in September 2025, while she keeps affiliation and close collaboration with the Department of Urology at UCSD. She holds a Ph.D. in Neurogenetics and a master’s degree in molecular medicine and Diagnostics. Her research is interdisciplinary in nature and spans cancer genomics, molecular and systems biology, bioinformatics, and epigenetics, with a focus on mTOR-dysregulated tumors, germ cell tumors, and sarcomas. She aims to uncover novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets by investigating clonal heterogeneity, tumor evolution, and the immune microenvironment through multi-omics approaches.Her previous roles include Senior Research Scientist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Previously,Instructor in Medicine (2020-2022) at Harvard Medical School, Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2015-2020) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School and Sponsored Research Fellow at Dana Farber Cancer Institute (2017-2022) and Yale University (2015). She has maintained an academic affiliation with Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard since 2016. Her work has been funded by the Department of Defense, TSC Alliance, Onassis Foundation, Academic Senate UCSD, and NIH. She has authored 43 peer-reviewed publications (h-index: 25, Google Scholar) in top-tier journals such as Genetics in Medicine, Nature Communications, Annals of Oncology, American Journal of Human Genetics, Oncogene. Dr. Giannikou has mentored postdoctoral researchers and trainees at all academic levels and serves as a reviewer for national and federal grant panels, including the NIH and Department of Defense.

Aditya Bagrodia is a Professor of Urology and Radiation Oncology and genitourinary oncology disease team leader at UC San Diego. His practice is comprised of complex, multidisciplinary management all urologic malignancies. Dr. Bagrodia’s clinical and research focus centers on basic, translational, and clinical research for patients with germ cell tumors.  He chairs the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group testicular cancer working group and serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network testicular cancer guidelines.