Diana Ivanova

Personal information

Contacts

Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Acad. G. Bonchev Street, Bl. 23, lab. 229 & 330
1113 Sofia, Bulgaria

Tel.: (+359) 884 43 13 52; +359 2 979 21 81; +359 2 979 37 61;
E-mails: dianadoc@abv.bg (preferred for external correspondence);
Diana.Ivanova@iber.bas.bg (for internal correspondence)

Curriculum vitae

Diana Ivanova is educated with excellent diploma at the University of Sofia, Department of Chemistry. She obtained her PhD in molecular biology and medicinal chemistry after several specializations abroad and participations in international projects in anticancer research of natural and synthetic compounds.

Diana Ivanova specialized several years in Russia in the fields of organic synthesis, isolation and characterization of natural and synthetic compounds, and several years in France in the study of the cellular signal transduction pathways with DNA-based luciferase reporter assays for study of the nuclear receptors and other transcription factors activation.

Diana Ivanova investigated the mechanisms of anticancer activity and spectral characterization of synthetic and natural compounds under several European projects, the results of which are issued in leading scientific journals:

ANTICANCER RETINOIDS, QLK3-CT2002-02029 (2002-2005) with total value
1 456 351 EUR, with main personal contribution in the project conception, Consortium organization, writing of all its parts, and work;

NUTRICEPTORS HPRN-CT-2002-00268 (2002-2006);
“NUTRItional and environmental nuclear reCEPTOR modulatorS: transcriptional pathways to abnormal development and cancer”

EPITRON LSHC-CT2005-518417 (2005-2009),
“EPIgenetic TReatment Of Neoplastic diseases”

She received also several personal grants, most remarkable of which are:
-a grant from DAAD (Deutschen Academischen Austauschen Dienst) for excellent students from the University of Sofia to visit German Universities, pharmaceutical companies, state institutions etc.
-a financial-aid award from Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory to present her work on a conference on the Nuclear receptors and Cancer, New York, USA, 2006.

In 2010 Diana Ivanova received her PhD degree in medicinal chemistry and molecular biology in the fields of the anticancer activity of natural compounds and their derivatives, ligand induced nuclear receptor activation, detection of transcription factor activation with luciferase reporter assays, analysis of signal transduction pathways, mechanisms of apoptosis induction, among many others.

At present Dr. Diana Ivanova works in an interdisciplinary scientific area and studies the anticancer activity of plant species as a Chief Assistant Professor at the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. She organizes the establishment of a multidisciplinary (botany, chemistry, molecular biology) team to investigate the cellular signal transduction mechanisms induced with less studied and other medicinal plant species in cancer and normal cells.

Since 2014 Dr. D. Ivanova contributes to international collaboration in anticancer plants research under ERASMUS plus program.

Diana Ivanova is educated in a Gymnasium for education in German language in Sofia with a Golden medal and speaks also English and Russian languages.

Research interests

anticancer plant species, cellular signal transduction pathways in plant-induced tumor-selective apoptosis, DNA-based Signal Reporter (luciferase) assays, FACS, Western blot analysis etc., activity-guided isolation of anticancer substances with column chromatography, preparative TLC, high-performance liquid chromatography/MS, structure determination of anticancer compounds with 1D-NMR (1H-, 13C-, DEPT), 2D-NMR (NOESY, HMBC, HSQC), IR, UV, MS/HRMS and other spectroscopy methods.

Publications

Summary Impact factor for all publications: 35,454

Selected publications:

Tetrahedron 52 (1996): 9581-9588. IF 3.060
Ivanova, D.; Eremin, S. and Shvets, V.;"The Synthesis of a Coumarin Analogue of Retinal".
ISSN: 0040-4020.

Tetrahedron Letters 40 (1999): 2645-2648. IF 2.588,
Ivanova, D.; Kolev, V.; Lazarova, Tz. and Padros, E. “Synthesis of New Heterocyclic and Polycyclic Aromatic Retinals and their bacteriorhodopsin Analogues” ISSN: 0040-4039.

Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry 10 (2002): 2099-2102. IF 3.157,
Ivanova, D.; Gaudon, C.; Rossin, A.; Bourget, W. and Gronemeyer, H.
“RAR-RXR Selectivity and Biological Activity of New Retinoic Acid Analogues with Heterocyclic or Polycyclic Aromatic Systems”;
ISSN: 0968-0896

Bioorg. Med. Chem. Letters 14 (2004): 4257-4261. IF 2.539,
Ivanova, D.; Rossin, A.; Gronemeyer, H.; Valla, A.; Cartier, D.; Le Guillou, R. and Labia, R.“Structure-activity relationships of methylene or terminal side chain modified retinoids on the differentiation and cell death signaling in NB4 promyelocytic leukemia cells”
ISSN: 0960-894X.

Organometallics 24 (2005): 3192-3199. IF 3.963,
Daiss, J. O.; Burschka, Ch.; Mills, J. S.; Montana, J. G.; Showell, G. A.; Fleming, I.; Gaudon, C.; Ivanova, D.; Gronemeyer, H. and Tacke, R.
“Synthesis, crystal structure analysis, and pharmacological characterization of Disila-bexarotene, a disila-analogue of the RXR-selective retinoid agonist bexarotene”
ISSN (printed): 0276-7333. ISSN (electronic): 1520-6041.

Chembiochem 8 (2007): 1688-1699 IF 3.944,
M. W. Büttner, Chr. Burschka, J. O. Daiss, D. Ivanova, N. Rochel, S. Kammerer, C. Peluso-Iltis, A. Bindler, C. Gaudon, P. Germain, D. Moras, H. Gronemeyer and R. Tacke
“Silicon Analogues of the Retinoid Agonists TTNPB and 3-Methyl-TTNPB, Disila-TTNPB and Disila-3-methyl-TTNPB: Chemistry and Biology”.
ISSN (printed): 1439-4227. ISSN (electronic): 1439-7633.

Antiviral therapy 13 (2008): 199-209. IF 3.160,
Caselli, E.; Galvan, M.; Santoni, F.; Alvarez, S.; De Lera, A. R.; Ivanova, D.; Gronemeyer, H.; Caruso, A.; Guidoboni, M.; Cassai, E.; Dolcetti, R. and Di Luca, D.
“Retinoic acid analogs inhibit Human Herpesvirus 8 replication”
ISSN: 1359-6535.

ChemMedChem. 4(7), 2009: 1143-1152. IF 3.151,
Lippert WP, Burschka C, Götz K, Kaupp M, Ivanova D, Gaudon C, Sato Y, Antony P, Rochel N, Moras D, Gronemeyer H, Tacke R. “Silicon Analogues of the RXR-Selective Retinoid Agonist SR11237 (BMS649): Chemistry and Biology”. ISSN (printed): 1860-7179. ISSN (electronic): 1860-7187.

ChemMedChem 6 (2011): 1518-1529. IF 3.151,
Ivanova D., Gronemeyer H. “Design and Stereoselective Synthesis of Retinoids with Ferrocene or N-Butylcarbazole Pharmacophores that Induce Post-Differentiation Apoptosis in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Cells”. ISSN (printed): 1860-7179. ISSN (electronic): 1860-7187.
VIP (classified as very important paper in the journal)

Arch Toxicol 87(2), 2013: 303-310 IF 4.674.
Ivanova, D.; Gronemeyer, H.; Steinberg, P.; Nau, H. “Enantioselective apoptosis induction in histiocytic lymphoma cells and acute promyelocytic leukemia cells”.
ISSN 0340-5761; E-ISSN 1432-0738,

Selected abstracts from conferences:

Proceedings of the XIV Int. Congress of Heterocyclic Chemistry, 1993, Antwerp, Belgium, Full costs Grant from the Organizing Committee
D. Ivanova, A. Khodonov, S. Eremin, B. Mitsner and V. Shvets; "Synthesis of new fluorescent coumarin-containing dyes".

Proceedings of the VI Int. Congress on Retinal Proteins, 1994, Leiden, The Netherlands.
D. Ivanova, S. Eremin, A. Khodonov, B. Mitsner and V. Shvets; "Bacteriorhodopsin analogue with new fluorescent chromophore".

ERRG Conference “Retinoids and Nuclear Receptors 1999” Bischenberg (France), September 26-30, 1999, p.32, Grant from the Organizing committee
Diana Ivanova et al. “Synthesis of New Retinoids as potential Cofactors for the Nuclear Retinoic Acid Receptors”

14th International Symposium on Organosilicon Chemistry, Würzburg, Germany, July 31-August 5, 2005, 3rd European Organosilicon Days.
J. O. Daiss, Ch. Burschka, J. S. Mills, J. G. Montana, G. A. Showell, I. Fleming, C. Gaudon, D. Ivanova, H. Gronemeyer and R. Tacke
“Synthesis, crystal structure analysis, and pharmacological characterization of Disila-bexarotene, a disila-analogue of the RXR-selective retinoid agonist bexarotene”

14th International Symposium on Organosilicon Chemistry, Würzburg, Germany, July 31-August 5, 2005, 3rd European Organosilicon Days.
V. Muller, D. Ivanova, C. Gaudon, A. Bindler, H. Gronemeyer, R. Tacke. „Disila-analogues of the retinoids Am80 and Am580”

Nuclear Receptors: Bench to the Bedside, Cold Spring Harbour, New York, USA, November 1-5, 2006,
Topics: Nuclear Receptors in Cancer;
Financial aid award from the Organizing committee and CSHL
Diana Ivanova, Hinrich Gronemeyer. “New efficient ferrocenyl and N-alkylcarbazole retinoic acid receptor-binding retinoids with high differentiation and apoptosis inducing potential on acute promyelocytic leukemia cells”

8th Conference on medicinal and aromatic plants from South East European Countries (8th CMAPSEEC), Durres, Albania, 19-24 May 2014, ISBN 978-99956-10-64-7;
P Steinberg, D Ivanova et al.
“New antiproliferative activities of Clinopodium vulgare L. in U937 human histiocytic lymphoma and HL60 acute promyelocytic leukemia cells”

Affiliation

Department

IBER

Division

IBER

Research group

D.I. is organizing a multidisciplinary (botany, chemistry, molecular biology) team on Anticancer plants research

History

Member for

10 years 22 weeks