Dr Constantinos DELTAS
Professor of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Medical School, University of Cyprus
Honorary Member of the Biological Society of Cyprus (CBS)
Prof. Konstantinos Deltas is a graduate of the Department of Pharmacy from the University of Athens, 1982, and holds a PhD from the joint program of the Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey, USA, 1988. PhD researcher and Lecturer at Thomas Jefferson University and Duke University Medical Centre, USA. Prof. Konstantinos Deltas, while working at Duke University School of Medicine in the USA, accepted an invitation from Prof. Lefkos Mittleton in 1991 to return to Cyprus and staff the newly established Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics. In June 2002 he was elected Professor of Genetics and first President of the newly established Department of Biological Sciences of the University of Cyprus. Since September 1, 2020, he is a Professor at the Medical School of the University of Cyprus. He founded and directed the Molecular Medicine Research Centre and most recently the Centre of Excellence for Biobanking and Biomedical Research with European and National funding of €38 million https://biobank.cy/.
The Centre of Excellence maintains and develops the first and largest Biobank in Cyprus, as a national medical research infrastructure. His research covers a wide range of inherited diseases and has been published in over 160 articles. His work concerns the development of molecular diagnostic methods for genetic diseases, the mapping and identification of genes, and the study of molecular and cellular pathological mechanisms. His team has created unique mouse models for Alport Syndrome and is implementing preclinical studies to treat the disease. In addition, his team conducted the first pilot clinical study in Cypriot patients with hereditary disease MUC1 Kidney Disease. His laboratory is a training ground for dozens of young researchers and has collaborated with dozens of great academics and researchers at many universities around the world.
Award rationale for Prof. Konstantinos DELTA
This proclamation and honorary distinction of the Biological Society of Cyprus (CBS) is based on the excellent contribution of Prof. Konstantinos Delta to date in the fields of health, science, research and in general his distinguished contribution to the Cypriot society but also to the promotion of life sciences and related topics more widely, with international acceptance. Prof. Delta’s team has published pioneering studies that have influenced clinical practice and serve precision medicine with an international impact. Awarded Distinguished Scientist in 2008 with the Millennium Golden International Award, Europe, by the International Council for the Promotion of Research in Human Nephrology and Genetics based on his innovative research ideas, academic excellence, and research initiatives in issues of molecular diagnostics and nephrogenetics. Prof. Delta has also been awarded the Cyprus Research Award as a Distinguished Researcher in 2014 by the Research Promotion Foundation, for his long experience as a researcher who has demonstrated outstanding research achievements with a local and international impact, honouring Cyprus. Prof. Delta’s research is gaining international recognition as evidenced by his research publications in recognised scientific journals and the honorary invitations he has received for lectures at foreign universities and international conferences. Prof. Deltas is the Founder and Director of the Centre of Excellence for Biobanking and Biomedical Research at the University of Cyprus, which was created with European and National funding, through a European competition. The Centre of Excellence maintains and develops the first and largest Biobank in Cyprus, as a national medical research infrastructure, which creates the conditions for next generation research in Cyprus. With his very important book entitled “The Genetic Heritage of the Cypriots through Special Issues of Genetics (2015)” he gives an in-depth description and review of the inherited diseases of the Cypriots, a very important tool for the study of hereditary diseases in the island. In 2020, Prof. Delta was named on Stanford University’s list of the top 2% of scientists worldwide for his work in the fields of clinical medicine, genetics and heredity, urology, and nephrology. The Biological Society of Cyprus (BEK) awards Prof. Konstantinos Delta the title of Honorary Member.