Professor of Biopharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics

Education

• Degree in Pharmacy (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, AUTH) (1984)
• PhD in Biopharmaceutics (Department of Pharmacy, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, NKUoA) (1990)
• Post-Doctoral training/research, Laboratory of Biopharmaceutics-Pharmacokinetics, Department of Pharmacy, NKUoA (1991-1999)

Teaching

Undergraduate courses/labs: 

• Biopharmaceutics-Pharmacokinetics Ι (Mandatory, 5th semester)
• Biopharmaceutics-Pharmacokinetics ΙΙ (Elective, 6th semester)
• Introduction to Laboratory Practices (Lab-work, 1st semester)
• Laboratory of  Biopharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics (Lab-work 5th and 6th semester)

Graduate courses: 

• Applications of Statistics in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Master course in: Industrial Pharmacy/Clinical Pharmacy/Cosmetology- Dermatopharmacology)
• Advanced Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics (Master course in Industrial Pharmacy)
• Lab-works in Industrial Pharmacy (Master course in Industrial Pharmacy)

Graduate courses in other Universities: 

• Other routes of drug administration (Erasmus-Mundus joint Master on Nanomedicines for Drug Delivery (NANOMED) - Universities of Paris, Descartes, France, Patras, Greece, Parma, Italy and Angers, France) (2017-σήμερα)
• Principles of Pharmacodynamics: Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic models (Master course in “Respiratory Failure and Mechanical Ventilation" ICU A 'Pulmonary Clinic, School of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, NKUA (2019-today)
• Clinical Studies: Emphasis in Pediatric drug development and the regulatory status in EU (Master course in Bioethics, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace) (2022 - today)

Research topics

• Drug cyclodextrin/macromolecules interaction for the optimization of drug’s solubility, dissolution and absorption
• Development and evaluation (in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo) of novel dosage forms for nasal administration and nose-to-brain delivery in neurodegenerative diseases.
• Pre-clinical and clinical pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies 
• Individualization of drug therapy by measuring plasma levels using pharmacokinetic parameters 

Distinctions

• PhD scholarship from the Hellenic State Scolarship Foundation, IKY (granded after examinations, 3-year scholarship, 1987-1990).
  Member of the Scientific Board of the Journal “ Molecules”
• Guest Editor with Prof. T. Mavromoustakos and Prof. A. Tzakos of the special issue “Cyclodextrins and Their Derivatives: A Basis for New Drug Formulations",  “Molecules”, MDPI 2022, https://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules/special_issues/drug_cyclodextrin
• Guest Editor with Assist. Prof N. Pippa and Dr. P. Papakyriakopoulou, of the special issue «Unlocking the Formulation Potential of Cyclodextrins and Their Derivatives—Volume II», “Molecules”, MDPI 2023, https://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules/special_issues/drug_cyclodextrin2
• Guest Editor with Assist. Prof N. Pippa and Dr. P. Papakyriakopoulou, of the special issue "Carbohydrate-Based Drug Delivery Systems: Chemistry, Design, and Therapeutic Potential",   “Molecules”, MDPI 2025 (in process), https://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules/special_issues/0449PY3513
• Co-Editor with Dr. P. Papakyriakopoulou of the book « Nose-to-Brain Drug Delivery: Principles, Strategies, and Applications», after invitation from Springer Nature, as part of The NEUROMETHODS series (in process)
• Member of the Scientific Board for Dug Approval of the National Drug Organization (NDO) (2016-2020)
  European Medicine Agency - European expert through the NDO (2016-today) (https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/about-us/how-we-work/european-medicines-regulatory-network/european-experts?f%5B0%5D=ema_expert_full_name%3AGeorgia%20Valsami)

Administrative positions in the Department of Pharmacy

• Co-ordinator of the Internal evaluation committee (2017-2024)
• Director of the Section of Pharmaceutical Technology (2015-2020)
• Director of the MSc course in “Clinical Pharmacy” (2022-2024)
• Director of the Laboratory of Biopharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics (2023 - ).
• Vice Chair of the Department of Pharmacy (2025 - )

Recent publications

• Papakyriakopoulou, et al. Nasal powders of quercetin-β-cyclodextrin complexes with mannitol/lecithin microparticles for Nose-to-Brain delivery: In vitro and ex vivo evaluation. Int. J. Pharmac., 607, 2021, 121016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.121016.
• Papakyriakopoulou, et al. Development and in vitro - ex vivo evaluation of novel polymeric nasal donepezil films for potential use in Alzheimer’s disease using experimental design. Pharmaceutics, 2022, 14, 1742. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14081742.
• Papakyriakopoulou, et al. Pharmacokinetic Study of Fingolimod Nasal Films Administered via Nose-to-Brain Route in C57BL/6J Mice as Potential Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis. Pharm. Res. 2024, 41, 1951–1963, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-024-03745-8.
• Saitani, et al. Fabricating polymer/surfactant/cyclodextrin hybrid particles for possible Nose-to-brain delivery of Ropinirole Hydrochloride. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25,1162. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25021162
• Saitani, et al. PEO-b-PCL:Tween 80:Cyclodextrin systems: from bioinspired fabrication to nasal administration of Ropinirole Hydrochloride. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 2024, 12, 6587–6604, https://doi.org/10.1039/d4tb00489b
• Papakyriakopoulou et al. The nasal route for Nose-to-Brain drug delivery: Advanced nasal formulations for CNS disorders. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, April 2025, https://doi.org/10.1080/17425247.2025.2489553
• Athanassa, et al. Population Pharmacokinetic Model of Oral Minocycline in Critically Ill Adult Patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia. J. Antimicrob. Chemoth., 2025  https://doi.org/10.1093/jac/dkaf090
• Sotiropoulou, et al. Therapeutic Potential of Quercetin, Silibinin, and Crocetin in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD): The Role of CD36 and PLIN3 in an Experimental Study. Life 2025, 15, 1523. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15101523 

(Full list of publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=qBzbWhgAAAAJ&hl=el)

Books

• Ei. Christodoulou, D. Ntountaniotis, G. Leonis, T. Mavromoustakos, G. Valsami. “Application of Neutralization and Freeze-drying Technique for the Preparation of the Beneficial in Drug Delivery 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin complexes with bioactive molecules” in, Thomas Mavromoustakos et al. (eds.), Supramolecules in Drug Discovery and Drug Delivery: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2207, doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0920-0_1, ©Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020.
• « Nose-to-Brain Drug Delivery: Principles, Strategies, and Applications», Co-Editor with Dr. Paraskevi Papakyriakopoulou, after invitation from Springer Nature as part of The NEUROMETHODS series (in process)

Contact

Postal address: Section of Pharmaceutical Technology,
Department of Pharmacy,
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,
Panepistimiopolis, 157 84
Athens, Greece
Tel.: +30(210) 727 4022
e-mail: valsami@pharm.uoa.gr