CING

The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics

Nicosia, Cyprus

Posted on May 20, 2025  •  2 minutes  • 365 words

Contribution to the project:

The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics (CING) contributes to the BEHIND-MS consortium by applying network-based integrative bioinformatics to explore how EBV-host imbalances drive MS onset and progression. This includes using single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze immune cell interactions in blood and CSF, constructing protein-protein interaction networks between viral, host, and MS-related proteins, and incorporating key redox signaling pathways. The project also applies network-based pathway analysis and computational drug repurposing to identify potential treatments, and will deliver an interactive computational atlas combining multi-level data and expert knowledge on the immune system, EBV, and MS.

Meet the team at CING

The CING Bioinformatics Group (C-BIG) is a highly inter-disciplinary team founded in 2016 to host the Bioinformatics European Research Area Chair in Cyprus under the support of the EU H2020 ERA Chair grant, for the period 2015-2020 and since then it has been transformed to a permanent Department within CING. We have strong interest in network analytics that capture the systemic behavior of the biomolecules, to integrate multi-omics / multisource data, to generate comprehensive disease/patient profiles that will act as the stepping stone for AI-fueled computer aided diagnostics, to face complexities and to recognize criticalities in biomedical problems, trying to develop new mathematical/computational methods to offer a solution if possible.  This way we try to contribute to the vision of personalized and precision medicine.

Team Members:

Professor George M. Spyrou – Project lead

Prof. George M. Spyrou leads the partnership between CING and the BEHIND-MS project. Prof. Spyrou is the Bioinformatics ERA Chair and Head of the Bioinformatics Department at CING, where he also serves as Research Coordinator. With a background in Physics, Medical Physics, and Bioinformatics, and a PhD in computational modeling for breast imaging, Prof. Spyrou has over 20 years of experience in biomedical research. Prior to joining CING, he led the Department of Informatics and New Technologies at the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens and conducted research in medical informatics and bioinformatics. A Senior IEEE Member and Steering Committee Member of ELIXIR-Cyprus, he also contributes to several editorial boards in the field. His research centers on systems bioinformatics, network-based analysis, biomarker discovery, and computational drug repurposing.