Alexandra Drakaki, MD
Suite 580
Santa Monica, California 90404
About
Alexandra Drakaki is an MD, PhD and board certified Oncologist / Hematologist. She received her training in Internal Medicine at a Tuft's University affiliate program while she completed her hematology / oncology training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School and her research fellowship at Dana Farber Cancer Center Harvard Medical School in Boston. She specializes in genitourinary cancers and specifically cancers of the bladder, testis, urethra, prostate and kidney.
She is the Primary Investigator in several ongoing clinical trials that are testing novel drugs in the field. Her research interest is studying the role of a novel class of genes, named non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs and linkRNAs in genitourinary malignancies.
Furthermore, she is part of the Translational Oncology Research Laboratory at UCLA in which researchers are working on drug development by using novel technologies for breakthrough discoveries.
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certifications
Fellowship
Residency
Internship
Degree
Recognitions
- Top Doctors, Los Angeles Magazine, 2021
- 2013: Merit Award in the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, GI ASCO
- 2013: Merit Award at the GI ASCO See More
Locations
Hospital Affiliations
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center
Research
Interests
Publications
- Iliopoulos D, Satra M, Drakaki A, Poultsides GA, Tsezou A. Epigenetic regulation of hTERT promoter in hepatocellular carcinomas. Int J Oncol, 34(2):391-9, 2009.
- Drakaki A, Iliopoulos D. MicroRNA gene networks in oncogenesis. Curr Genomics, 10(1):35-41, 2009.
- Drakaki A, Hatziapostolou M, Iliopoulos D. Therapeutically targeting microRNAs in liver cancer. Curr Pharm Des, 19(7):1180-91, 2013.
- Drakaki A, McDermott DF. Novel immunotherapies in GU malignancies. Curr Oncol Rep, 15 (3):224-31, 2013.
- Drakaki A, Iliopoulos D. Gene and microRNA signaling pathways in pancreatic cancer. Chang Gung Med J, 2013.
- Hatziapostolou M, Polytarchou C, Aggelidou E, Drakaki A, Poultsides GA, Jaeger SA, Ogata H, Karin M, Struhl K, Hadzopoulou-Cladaras M, Iliopoulos D. An HNF4α-miRNA inflammatory feedback circuit regulates hepatocellular oncogenesis. Cell, 147(6):1233-47, 2011.
- Lee JJ, Drakaki A, Iliopoulos D, Struhl K. MiR-27b targets PPARγ to inhibit growth, tumor progression and the inflammatory response in neuroblastoma cells. Oncogene, 31(33):3818-25, 2012.
- Drakaki A, Hatziapostolou M, Polytarchou C, Vorvis C, Poultsides GA, Souglakos J, Georgoulias V, Iliopoulos D. Functional microRNA high throughput screening reveals miR-9 as a central regulator of liver oncogenesis by affecting the PPARA-CDH1 pathway. BMC Cancer,15:542,2015
- Palumbo T, Hatziapostolou M, Drakaki A, Poultsides G, Iliopoulos D. A functional microRNA library screen reveals miR-410 as a novel antiapoptotic regulator in cholangiocarcinoma by targeting XIAP. BMC Cancer, 2016
- Donin N, Lenis AT, Holden S, Drakaki A, Pantuck A, Belldegrun A, Chamie K. Immunotherapy in the Treatment of Urothelial Malignancies. The Journal of Urology, 2016
Recognitions
- Top Doctors, Los Angeles Magazine, 2021
- 2013: Merit Award in the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, GI ASCO
- 2013: Merit Award at the GI ASCO
- 2010: Best Teaching Award for Residents, Tufts University School of Medicine, MA
- 2009: Best Basic Research Award for Residents and Fellows in National Annual American College of Physicians Meeting
- 2009: National American College of Physician Award
- 2008: Best Research Award for Residents and Fellows, Annual American College of Physicians Meeting, Massachusetts
- 2008: Local American College of Physician Award at the state of Massachusetts
- 2003: Award for Best Medical Student