Christina Arseni completed her Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Biotechnology, studying the genetics of male infertility, followed by a Master's degree in Molecular Medicine, where she studied the role of hypoxia in cancer. Christina obtained her PhD in Medicine from the University of Thessaly, Greece, in 2024, focusing on cancer and hypoxia research with an emphasis on the phosphorylation of HIF-1α mediated by ERK1/2 and CK1δ kinases. During her doctoral studies, she discovered that phosphorylation by ERK1/2 regulates HIF-1α interactions with different protein partners in the nucleus, influencing cellular responses to hypoxia and cancer progression. Moreover, her PhD work shed light on previously unknown roles of HIF-1α in the cytoplasm, where it interacts with tubulin, likely ensuring its symmetrical distribution after mitosis. Inspired by the complex interplay between cancer, hypoxia, and mitochondrial function, she sought to expand her research into mitochondrial biology. In June 2024, Christina joined the Laboratory of Prof. Luca Scorrano in the Department of Biology at the Università degli Studi di Padova as a postdoctoral researcher, where she studies mitochondria. In 2025, she was awarded a MSCA European Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out the project “FIAT,” which aims to elucidate the role of the mitochondrial fission protein FIS1 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). FIAT, also, involves developing chemical probes to identify small molecule inhibitors of FIS1 and assess which cellular function of FIS1 is essential for maintenance of AML. Her multidisciplinary approach combines molecular biology, cancer research, chemical and computational methods to advance understanding of disease mechanisms and therapeutic strategies.