What I work on
Cerebral Malaria
Dissecting how Plasmodium disrupts the blood-brain barrier. Druggable targets at the cerebrovasculature.
Published comprehensive review of pathogenetic mechanisms and treatment targets in cerebral malaria in Nature Reviews Neurology (2023).
Immunology
Using omics approaches to understand immunological mechanisms in health and disease, from macrophage biology to dengue virus infection.
Bulk RNAseq analysis of efferocytic macrophage responses to apoptotic cells (Science, 2024). Transcriptomics of olfactory bulb dysfunction in MS (J Neuroinflammation, 2025). Developed the Quad-Color FluoroSpot for single-cell B cell cross-reactivity in dengue (J Immunol, 2015).
Read the QCF explainer →Computational Medicine & Biology
Leveraging machine learning and big data for novel disease phenotype discovery and translational biomarker research.
Applying deep learning and phenome-wide association studies to large-scale clinical datasets. Integrating bulk, single-cell, and spatial transcriptomics with clinical phenotypes for biomarker discovery.
Selected work
Reperfusion-Dependent Outcomes After Endovascular Thrombectomy Stratified by NIHSS-ASPECTS Clinical-Core Mismatch
Schlicht F, ... Hadjilaou A, et al.
Ann Clin Transl NeurolNeuroinflammation causes mitral cell dysfunction and olfactory impairment in a multiple sclerosis model
Schubert C, ... Hadjilaou A, et al.
J NeuroinflammationApoptotic cell identity induces distinct functional responses to IL-4 in efferocytic macrophages
Liebold I, ... Hadjilaou A, et al.
Science · 384(6691)The NR4A2/VGF pathway fuels inflammation-induced neurodegeneration via promoting neuronal glycolysis
Woo MS, ... Hadjilaou A, et al.
J Clin Invest · 134(16)Ambulant erworbene bakterielle Meningoenzephalitis: Die neue Leitlinie
Hadjilaou A, Friese MA
Dtsch Med Wochenschr · 149(17)Pathogenetic mechanisms and treatment targets in cerebral malaria
Hadjilaou A, Brandi J, Riehn M, Friese MA, Jacobs T
Nat Rev NeurolIncreased Expression of Multiple Co-Inhibitory Molecules on Malaria-Induced CD8+ T Cells Are Associated With Increased Function Instead of Exhaustion
Brandi J, Riehn M, Hadjilaou A, Jacobs T
Front ImmunolFrequent neurocognitive deficits after recovery from mild COVID-19
Woo MS, ... Hadjilaou A, et al.
Brain Commun · 2(2)Single-Cell Analysis of B Cell/Antibody Cross-Reactivity Using a Novel Multicolor FluoroSpot Assay
Hadjilaou A, Green AM, Coloma J, Harris E
J ImmunolResearch in depth
Visual walkthroughs of the methods and findings behind selected publications.
Education & training
Residency in Clinical Neurology
UKE Hamburg · INIMS
Clinical neurology and research on the cerebrovascular pathogenesis of cerebral malaria.
Protozoan Immunology
Bernhard Nocht Institute, Hamburg
Understanding the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria using the mouse model and genomics.
Dr. med.
University of Leipzig · UC Berkeley
Developed the Quad-Color FluoroSpot assay for B cell antibody repertoire characterization.