Rate My Professor Antreas Kalli

Dr Antreas Kalli is an Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds, part of the Faculty of Medicine and Health, and a member of the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology. He obtained his BSc in Physics from the University of Cyprus in 2008 and his DPhil in Structural Biology from the University of Oxford in 2012. Before joining Leeds, he was a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Mark Sansom's group at Oxford, where he applied computational methods to explore membrane protein function at the molecular level.

The Kalli group utilizes multi-scale molecular dynamics simulations—ranging from coarse-grained to all-atom resolutions—and molecular modelling to elucidate the molecular, structural, and dynamic aspects of membrane proteins within complex model membranes that mimic native cellular environments. Membrane proteins, encoding about 25% of human genes and serving as primary drug targets, are the focus of his research. Specific interests encompass ion channels like Piezo1 and mechanosensitive channels, whose activation is modulated by lipids and small molecules; signalling pathways such as T-cell receptor activation influenced by lipid surroundings and kinases; and transport proteins including Band 3 (AE1) and solute carriers. Developments in computational tools for efficient protein-lipid studies are also pursued. Key publications include "Regulation of PIEZO1 channel force sensitivity by interblade handshaking" (2025), "PIEZO1 variant implications for biological understanding and human health" (2025), "Two cooperative lipid binding sites within the pleckstrin homology domain are necessary for AKT binding and stabilization to the plasma membrane" (2024), and "Inhibitors of the small membrane (M) protein viroporin prevent Zika virus infection" (2024). He has been awarded a Springboard Fellowship by the Academy of Medical Sciences.