Meet Our new EBV-MS Partner: The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics (CING)

Powering Personalized Research Through Systems Bioinformatics

At the core of CING’s contribution to the EBV-MS project is the application of holistic, network-based methodologies to better understand the link between Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS). Leveraging multi-source data integration, AI-ready patient profiling, and personalized computational pipelines, the team at CING is helping to build a comprehensive knowledge base of the EBV-MS relationship.

By incorporating data from genetics, multi-omics, imaging, clinical characteristics, and lifestyle information, CING aims to facilitate subgroup identification and patient-to-patient network modeling, setting the stage for precision diagnostics and individualized therapeutic strategies.

About the CING Bioinformatics Group (C-BIG)

Founded in 2016, the CING Bioinformatics Group (C-BIG) evolved from the EU-funded ERA Chair in Bioinformatics and is now a permanent department at the Institute. This interdisciplinary team is passionate about capturing the systemic behavior of biomolecules, developing mathematical and computational methods to face biomedical complexity, and advancing the goals of personalized and precision medicine.

Meet the Team Driving the EBV-MS Work at CING

Prof. George M. Spyrou

Head of the Bioinformatics Department at CING, Prof. Spyrou is the project lead from CING and brings over two decades of experience in medical physics, informatics, and bioinformatics. As a Senior IEEE Member and the Bioinformatics ERA Chair in Cyprus, his research focuses on systems bioinformatics, biomarker discovery, and computational drug repurposing.

Sotiroula Afxenti

Sotiroula is pursuing her PhD jointly in the Bioinformatics and Neuroimmunology Departments at CING, while also supporting the EBV-MS project as a Laboratory Scientific Officer. Her work centers on integrating imaging and molecular data to advance precision diagnostics—bringing valuable skills in heterogeneous data integration and network analysis.

George Michael

With a background in biological sciences and omics data analysis, George specializes in multi-omics integration, rare disorders, and single-cell sequencing. His expertise supports the EBV-MS project’s ambition to define molecular signatures and predictive models for MS associated with EBV infection.

Together, the CING team contributes unique and essential expertise to the EBV-MS project. Their work is helping to bridge complex data and clinical reality - moving us one step closer to tailored, effective solutions for people living with multiple sclerosis.

Learn more about the team here: EBV-MS Consortium

Stay tuned for more partner spotlights and updates from across the EBV-MS consortium.