Venue

The Conference will be held at the GAIA Research Centre of the Goulandris Natural History Museum. It is located in Kifissia, one of the most elegant Northern suburbs of Athens, famous for its market, its beautiful and silent paths, its commercial centre with cafés and refined restaurants. The Goulandris Natural History Museum is located in Othonos street, and has been a centre of attraction for children and adults, since interesting and educational exhibitions are occasionally hosted.

Looking forward to the 21st Century and in view of the continuing environmental degradation, the Museum has undertaken to create the GAIA Centre for Environmental Research and Education, with the support of the European Union’s Cohesion Fund. It has been conceived as the Museum of the future, a pioneering centre of scientific research and education, which will contribute to the establishment of a new environmental policy in Greece, in Europe and internationally. The Centre’s main goals are environmental education and research in the fields of human health, nutrition and environmental sciences, conducted in laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation.  

The Bioanalytical Department of the GAIA Research Centre was established in 2000 and its research interests are focused on the relation between dietary habits and human health, employing modern mass spectrometric and chromatographic techniques.

More specifically the research activity of the Bioanalytical Department includes:

• Exploitation of the plant properties and plant-produced therapeutics towards the development of new and innovative pharmaceuticals.
• Identification of bioactive components of the Mediterranean diet in order to prevent age-associated diseases.
• Development of Mass Spectrometry-based analytical methodologies to monitor noncovalent interactions between bioactive molecules and proteins, which are responsible for certain diseases, with special interest on Alzheimer's Disease (AD) management using natural product-derived compounds.