Elsa Pilarinou has been employed by WCRI in the position of Mail Project Coordinator since January 1, 2010. For the prior seventeen years she was the Director of the Florida Division of the Walker Cancer Research Institute. She was responsible for the founding and development of the WCRI Natural Products and Cell Biology Laboratories and in 1996 the initiation of collaborative efforts between the Florida Division of WCRI and the Florida and U.S. Departments of Agriculture. She received her B.A. degree in Biochemistry from the University of London U.K. She was employed at the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead, London. At Metrogen in Athens, Greece, Elsa Pilarinou conducted research in Chemical Pathology.
 

(FORMER) RESEARCH RESPONSIBILITIES & ACTIVITIES

Managing the Laboratory for the development of natural product sourced pharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer which entailed coordinating the activities of scientists at this laboratory and developing specific research programs.

The emphasis of the Florida lab was to research and investigate native plants of Florida and the Southeastern United States to evaluate those which exhibited potential anticancer activity.

She served as a representative of a Florida academic consortium, in 1996, to explore the need and feasibility of cultivating and harvesting native Florida plants identified to have potential anticancer properties.

University and Biotechnological Contacts. Ms. Pilarinou was associated with botanical scientists at Florida State University and agricultural and pharmaceutical scientists at Florida A&M University. Ms. Pilarinou served as the representative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the International Conference on Luffa Development held in Italy in 1996.
 

1. S.D.Shnyder, J. Hasan,  P.A.Cooper, E .Pilarinou, E. Jubb, G.C Jayson, M.C Bibby (2005).Development of a Modified Hollow Fibre Assay for Studying Agents Targeting the Tumour Neovasculature. Anticancer  Research 25: 1889-1894.

2. Badisa, R. B., Tzakou, O., Couladis, M., Pilarinou, E. (2004). Cytotoxic activities of salvia plants of Labiatae family. Pharmaceutical Biology, 42(8): 640-645.

3. Badisa, R. B., V. L. D. Badisa., D. W. Watson., E. Pilarinou and E. H. Walker (2004). Cytotoxic activities of Snow Lotus filtrates against human cancer cell lines and origin of active factors. Pharmaceutical Biology 42(2): 117-124.

4. Badisa, R. B., M. Couladis, V. Tsortanidou, S. K. Chaudhuri, Larry Walker, E. Pilarinou, A. Santos - Guerra and J. Francisco-Ortega (2004). Pharmacological activities of some Argyranthemum Species Growing in the Canary Islands. Phytotherapy Research 18: 763-767.

5. Badisa R. B., O. Tzakou.,  M. Couladis.,  E. Pilarinou (2003). Cytotoxic activities of some Greek Labiatae Herbs.. Phytotherapy Research 17: 472-476.6

6. M. Couladis, R.B. Badisa, P. Baziou, SK Chaudhuri, E. Pilarinou, E. Verykokidou and C. Harvala (2002). Antioxidant and cytotoxic activities Hypericum sp. on brine shrimps and human cancer cell lines. Phytotherapy Research 16: 719-722.

7. S. K. Chaudhuri, R. B. Badisa, E. Pilarinou and E. H. Walker (2002). Licamichauxii A and B acids- Two Ent-kaurene diterpenoids from Licania michauxii. Natural Product Letters 16(1): 39-45.

8. Badisa R. B., Chaudhuri, S. K., E. Pilarinou., N. J. Rutkoski., H. Hare., C. W. Levenson (2000). Licania michauxii Prance root extract induces hsp 70 mRNA and necrotic cell death in cultured hepatoma and colon carcinoma cell lines. Cancer Letters, 149(1-2): 61-68.

9. Liu, X. X., Pilarinou, E., McLaughlin, J. L. (1999). Pondaplin: a novel cyclic prenylated phenylpropanoid from Annona Glabra, Tetrahedron Lett., 40: 399-402.

10. Liu, X. X., Alali, F. Q., Pilarinou, E., McLaughlin, J. L. (1999). Two bioactive mono-tetrahydrofuran acetogenins, annoglacins A and B, from Annona Glabra, Phytochemistry, 50(5): 815-821.

11. Liu, X. X., Pilarinou, E., McLaughlin, J. L. (2000). Two novel bioactive adjacent bis-THF acetogenins from the leaves of Annona Glabra, Nat. Prod. Lett., 14(4): 255-263.

12. Liu, X. X., Alali, F.Q., Hopp D. C., Rogers, L. L., Pilarinou, E., McLaughlin, J. L. (1998). Glabracins A and B, two acetogenins from Annona glabra, Biorg. Med. Chem., 6(7): 959-965.

13. Liu, X. X., Alali, F.Q., Pilarinou, E., McLaughlin, J. L (1998). Glacins A and B: Two novel bioactive mono-tetrahydrofuran acetogenins from Annona glabra, J. Nat. Prod. 61(5): 620-624.

14. Liu, X. X., Pilarinou, E., McLaughlin, J. L. (1999). Two Novel acetogenins, annoglaxin and 27-Hydroxyl bullatacin, from Annona glabra, J Nat. Prod. 62(6): 848-852.