Publications

2026 Nature Communications

FANCD2 restrains fork progression and prevents fragility at early origins upon re-replication

Nibal Badra-Fajardo, Elena Karydi, Aleix Bayona-Feliu, Belén Gómez-González, Ourania Preza, Marina Arbi, Argyro Kalogeropoulou, Juha K. Rantala, Stavros Taraviras, Andrés Aguilera, Zoi Lygerou

DNA replication is tightly regulated to ensure a single round of chromosome duplication per cell division. We investigate the mechanisms that protect genome integrity following re-replication induced by depletion of the licensing inhibitor Geminin. We find that re-replicating cells require FANCD2 to prevent genome instability. FANCD2 is rapidly recruited to chromatin upon Geminin loss, where it limits unrestrained fork progression and prevents single strand DNA gap accumulation and fork breakage.

2025 Poster

Targeting Replication Licensing Machinery for the Development of Cancer-Specific Therapeutic Approaches

Elena Karydi, Chara Papalouka, Nibal Badra-Fajardo, Stavros Taraviras, Zoi Lygerou

75th Panhellenic Conference of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, December 2025

2024 Short Talk

Pharmacological targeting of cells with DNA replication licensing aberrations for the study of novel synthetic lethal interactions

Elena Karydi, Nibal Badra-Fajardo, Ourania Preza, Stavros Taraviras, Zoi Lygerou

74th Panhellenic Conference of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, December 2024

2023 Poster

Identification of novel synthetic lethal interactions in cancer cells with DNA replication licensing aberrations

Elena Karydi, Nibal Badra-Fajardo, Ourania Preza, Stavros Taraviras, Zoi Lygerou

73rd Panhellenic Conference of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, December 2023
10th Young Scientists Workshop of the Hellenic Society of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, November 2023

2022 Short Talk

Tumor agnostic therapies in cancer

Conference “Applications of Precision Medicine in Oncology”, May 2022