Venetia (Vanna) Zachariou, PhD
Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics

PhD, Medical College of Georgia
BSc, University of Patras



Venetia Zachariou, PhD studies signal transduction and epigenetic mechanisms of neurological disorders and their treatment using genetic mouse models, genomic assays and brain biochemistry. Her projects have investigated transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms of chronic pain with emphasis on the identification and validation of novel treatments for the management of peripheral neuropathy and other chronic pain conditions. Another line of research in her laboratory investigates the role of G protein signal transduction complexes in drug addiction, opioid analgesia and physical dependence. By understanding intracellular adaptations to peripheral nerve injury and/or prolonged opioid exposure she aims to develop novel therapeutics for chronic pain conditions and pain/addiction comorbidities. Her team has identified several intracellular pathways that control the perception and the maintenance of chronic pain states. They also have developed novel interventions in epigenetic pathways that allow transitioning to non-opioid analgesics while preventing the development of physical dependence.

Dr. Zachariou received her BSc in pharmacy from the University of Patras, Greece, and her PhD in pharmacology from the Medical College of Georgia. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in the department of psychiatry at Yale University and a junior faculty position at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, she established her laboratory at the University of Crete School of Medicine. In 2012, she joined the departments of neuroscience and pharmacological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York as an associate professor (with tenure since 2016), and as full professor (since 2018).

Dr. Zachariou is a member of the editorial boards of Biological Psychiatry, Molecular Pain, Science Signaling, Neurobiology of Pain, section editor for European Journal of Neuroscience, and member of the NIH MCNP study section. She is a Fellow in the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and Chair elect for the ASPET Neuropharmacology Division.

Chair
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics




A Female Specific Role of RGSz1 in Modulation of Chronic Pain
07/01/2023 - 06/30/2025 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke
7R01NS111351-04

Translational Studies of Sleep, Rhythms, and Addiction
01/01/2023 - 08/31/2024 (PI)
University of Massachusetts, Medical School


Cellular Mechanisms of Antidepressant Drug Actions in Neuropathic Pain Models
05/01/2023 - 04/30/2024 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke
7R01NS086444-10



Title


Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs
2024 Animal Models Core 3P01DA047233-05S1-8100
2023 Cellular Mechanisms of Antidepressant Drug Actions in Neuropathic Pain Models 7R01NS086444-10
2023 Animal Models Core 5P01DA047233-05-8100
2022 Cellular mechanisms of antidepressant drug actions in neuropathic pain models 3R01NS086444-08S1
2022 A Female Specific Role of RGSz1 in Modulation of Chronic Pain 5R01NS111351-03
2022 A Female Specific Role of RGSz1 in Modulation of Chronic Pain 7R01NS111351-04
2022 Cellular mechanisms of antidepressant drug actions in neuropathic pain models 3R01NS086444-09S1
2022 Cellular mechanisms of antidepressant drug actions in neuropathic pain models 5R01NS086444-09
2022 Cellular mechanisms of antidepressant drug actions in neuropathic pain models 3R01NS086444-09S2
2022 Animal Models Core 5P01DA047233-04-8100
Showing 10 of 34 results. Show All Results

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis       Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

  1. Serafini RA, Ramakrishnan A, Shen L, Zachariou V. Desipramine induces anti-inflammatory dorsal root ganglion transcriptional signatures in the murine spared nerve injury model. Neurobiol Pain. 2024; 15:100153. PMID: 38549875; PMCID: PMC10973649; DOI: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2024.100153;
     
  2. Mitsi V, Ruiz A, Polizu C, Farzinpour Z, Ramakrishnan A, Serafini RA, Parise EM, Floodstrand M, Sial OK, Gaspari S, Tang CY, Nestler EJ, Schmidt EF, Shen L, Zachariou V. RGS4 Actions in Mouse Prefrontal Cortex Modulate Behavioral and Transcriptomic Responses to Chronic Stress and Ketamine. Mol Pharmacol. 2024 Mar 14; 105(4):272-285. PMID: 38351270
     
  3. Avila-Zozaya M, Zachariou V. Genetic mouse models in opioid research: current status and future directions. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2024 Mar 04. PMID: 38436758
     
  4. Blaze J, Browne CJ, Futamura R, Javidfar B, Zachariou V, Nestler EJ, Akbarian S. tRNA epitranscriptomic alterations associated with opioid-induced reward-seeking and long-term opioid withdrawal in male mice. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2024 Feb 08. PMID: 38332016
     
  5. Lai A, Iliff D, Zaheer K, Gansau J, Laudier DM, Zachariou V, Iatridis JC. Annulus Fibrosus Injury Induces Acute Neuroinflammation and Chronic Glial Response in Dorsal Root Ganglion and Spinal Cord-An In Vivo Rat Discogenic Pain Model. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Feb 01; 25(3). PMID: 38339040; PMCID: PMC10855200; DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031762;
     
  6. Pryce KD, Serafini RA, Ramakrishnan A, Nicolais A, Giosan IM, Polizu C, Torres-Berrío A, Vuppala S, Kronman H, Ruiz A, Gaspari S, Peña CJ, Sakloth F, Mitsi V, van Duzer J, Mazitschek R, Jarpe M, Shen L, Nestler EJ, Zachariou V. Author Correction: Oxycodone withdrawal induces HDAC1/HDAC2-dependent transcriptional maladaptations in the reward pathway in a mouse model of peripheral nerve injury. Nat Neurosci. 2024 Feb; 27(2):384. PMID: 38253639
     
  7. Serafini RA, Zachariou V. The Dorsal Raphe as a Regulator of Emotion and Reward: Beyond Pain. Biol Psychiatry. 2023 Dec 01; 94(11):834-835. PMID: 37914503
     
  8. Serafini RA, Estill M, Pekarskaya EA, Sakloth F, Shen L, Javitch JA, Zachariou V. Tianeptine promotes lasting antiallodynic effects in a mouse model of neuropathic pain. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2023 Oct; 48(11):1680-1689. PMID: 37474762; PMCID: PMC10517169; DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01645-w;
     
  9. Serafini RA, Frere JJ, tenOever B, Zachariou V. SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A Virus Induce Longitudinal Transcriptomic Changes in Hamster Spinal Cord Tissue. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2024 Mar 01; 49(5):364-367. PMID: 37389976; PMCID: PMC10753030; DOI: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000004765;
     
  10. Pryce KD, Serafini RA, Ramakrishnan A, Nicolais A, Giosan IM, Polizu C, Torres-Berrío A, Vuppala S, Kronman H, Ruiz A, Gaspari S, Peña CJ, Sakloth F, Mitsi V, van Duzer J, Mazitschek R, Jarpe M, Shen L, Nestler EJ, Zachariou V. Oxycodone withdrawal induces HDAC1/HDAC2-dependent transcriptional maladaptations in the reward pathway in a mouse model of peripheral nerve injury. Nat Neurosci. 2023 Jul; 26(7):1229-1244. PMID: 37291337; PMCID: PMC10752505; DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01350-3;
     
Showing 10 of 91 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 91 publications over 28 distinct years, with a maximum of 7 publications in 2011

YearPublications
19962
19973
19981
19992
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20023
20034
20043
20053
20063
20073
20084
20094
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20121
20132
20144
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20194
20204
20211
20224
20236
20246

2022 ASPET-Neuropharmacology Division: Chair-elect
2021 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology: Fellow
2016 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology: Member
2009 NIDA Minisymposium: INRC Travel award
2003 Winter Conference in Brain: Research Travel Award
2002 NIDA: Travel award
1994 Medical College of Georgia: Sigma kappa Society award on Graduate Student Research
1992-1995 Department of Pharmacology, Medical College of Georgia: Fellowship for Teaching Assistantship in Pharmacology
1991 NATO meeting on Vascular Endothelium, Rhodes Greece: NATO Travel Award
Contact for Mentoring:

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Boston MA 02118
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