Venetia Zachariou, PhD

Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Venetia Zachariou, PhD studies signal transduction and epigenetic mechanisms of neurological disorders and their treatment using genetic mouse models, genomic assays and brain biochemistry. Her projects have investigated transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms of chronic pain with emphasis on the identification and validation of novel treatments for the management of peripheral neuropathy and other chronic pain conditions. Another line of research in her laboratory investigates the role of G protein signal transduction complexes in drug addiction, opioid analgesia and physical dependence. By understanding intracellular adaptations to peripheral nerve injury and/or prolonged opioid exposure she aims to develop novel therapeutics for chronic pain conditions and pain/addiction comorbidities. Her team has identified several intracellular pathways that control the perception and the maintenance of chronic pain states. They also have developed novel interventions in epigenetic pathways that allow transitioning to non-opioid analgesics while preventing the development of physical dependence.

Dr. Zachariou received her BSc in pharmacy from the University of Patras, Greece, and her PhD in pharmacology from the Medical College of Georgia, USA. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in the department of psychiatry at Yale University and a junior faculty position at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, she established her laboratory at the University of Crete School of Medicine. In 2012, she joined the departments of neuroscience and pharmacological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York as an associate professor (with tenure since 2016), and as full professor (since 2018).

Dr. Zachariou is a member of the editorial boards of Biological Psychiatry, Science Signaling, Neurobiology of Pain, British Journal of Pharmacology and Molecular Pharmacology. She is a Fellow in the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and Chair of the ASPET Neuropharmacology Division.

Publications

  • Published 5/1/2026

    Gomez JL, Ventriglia EN, Frangos ZJ, Sulima A, Robertson MJ, Sacco MD, Budinich RC, Giosan IM, Xie T, Solis O, Tischer AE, Bossert JM, Caldwell KE, Bonbrest H, Essmann A, Garçon-Poca ZM, Choi S, Noya MR, Limiac F, Arce A, Glatfelter GC, Robinson M, Chen L, Mullarkey AA, Brademan DR, Enten G, Dunne W, Quiroz C, Schoenborn I, Lee CB, Rais R, Holt DP, Dannals RF, Shi L, Hüttenhain R, Ferré S, Kiyatkin E, Bonaventura J, Shaham Y, Zachariou V, Baumann MH, Skiniotis G, Rice KC, Michaelides M. Author Correction: A µ-opioid receptor superagonist analgesic with minimal adverse effects. Nature. 2026 May; 653(8114):E4. PMID: 42032332.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/1/2026

    Gomez JL, Ventriglia EN, Frangos ZJ, Sulima A, Robertson MJ, Sacco MD, Budinich RC, Giosan IM, Xie T, Solis O, Tischer AE, Bossert JM, Caldwell KE, Bonbrest H, Essmann A, Garçon-Poca ZM, Choi S, Noya MR, Limiac F, Arce A, Glatfelter GC, Robinson M, Chen L, Mullarkey AA, Brademan DR, Enten G, Dunne W, Quiroz C, Schoenborn I, Lee CB, Rais R, Holt DP, Dannals RF, Shi L, Hüttenhain R, Ferré S, Kiyatkin E, Bonaventura J, Shaham Y, Zachariou V, Baumann MH, Skiniotis G, Rice KC, Michaelides M. A µ-opioid receptor superagonist analgesic with minimal adverse effects. Nature. 2026 Apr; 652(8112):1393-1404. PMID: 41922775.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/30/2026

    Lee EB, Serafini RA, Ramakrishnan A, Suresh R, Weitzner A, Patne NS, Farzinpour Z, Rowley E, Suresh V, Shen L, Zachariou V, Tuffaha S. Behavioral and molecular characterization of various muscle-based surgical strategies for neuroma treatment in a peroneal nerve transection rat model. Pain. 2026 Apr 01; 167(4):976-989. PMID: 41610030.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/27/2025

    Giosan IM, Serafini RA, Ramakrishnan A, Tuffy MJ, Zimering J, Babes A, Shen L, Zachariou V. HDAC6 inhibition ameliorates sensory hypersensitivity and reduces immune cell signatures in the dorsal root ganglia in murine chronic pain models. Mol Pharmacol. 2025 May; 107(5):100034. PMID: 40311408.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/9/2024

    Serafini RA, Farzinpour Z, Patel V, Kelley AM, Estill M, Pryce KD, Sakloth F, Teague CD, Torres-Berrio A, Nestler EJ, Shen L, Akbarian S, Karkhanis AN, Blitzer RD, Zachariou V. Nucleus accumbens myocyte enhancer factor 2C mediates the maintenance of peripheral nerve injury-induced physiological and behavioral maladaptations. Pain. 2024 Dec 01; 165(12):2733-2748. PMID: 38985454.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 96 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Chair, Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Websites

Education

  • Medical College of Georgia, PhD
  • University of Patras, BSc

View all profiles