Mr Michelakis is an Associate Research Fellow and has been a visiting researcher at NDS for two years. He is a medical doctor and a PhD student within the team of Professor Maria Kaisar, working in collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Mr Michelakis was awarded the prize for his research on 'Plasma uromodulin dynamics in deceased kidney donors and the association with transplant outcomes.'
Uromodulin is a protein produced by healthy kidney cells and may indicate how good is kidney function. In this study, the team measured uromodulin levels in blood from deceased donors and explored how these levels relate to kidney transplant outcomes. They found that donors with higher uromodulin levels, especially those after brain death, were more likely to provide kidneys that worked better after transplantation. These findings suggest that uromodulin could serve as a useful marker to help evaluate donor kidney quality before transplantation.
Speaking on his achievement, Mr Michelakis said: 'I am very proud and honoured to receive this recognition. It really means a lot that our research is considered valuable — not only for advancing science, but also for its potential to improve patient care and outcomes, which is our ultimate goal.
'I am deeply grateful to both QUOD and the Onassis Foundation for their invaluable support throughout my PhD research on kidney transplantation.'
The new Oxford Academic Kidney Network held this symposium with aims of raising awareness of the breadth of kidney associated academic and clinical expertise in Oxford, encouraging collaboration within and across university and clinical departments and to provide opportunities for junior colleagues to present their work.