Assoc. Prof. Yancho Zarev, PhD, obtained a master’s degree in pharmacy at the Medical University – Sofia in 2011. He defended his PhD in Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry on the topic “Biotechnological and phytochemical investigation of plants with antitumor and antigenotoxic activity” in 2019. Since 2018 he has held the position of Assistant Professor, since 2021 – Senior Assistant Professor, and since 2025 – Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University – Sofia. Since January 2025, he holds a specialty in “Medicinal Plants and Phytopharmaceutical Products”, acquired at the Medical University – Sofia through postgraduate education.
He participates in teaching “Pharmacognosy – Part II” and the training course “Pharmaceutical Biotechnology”.
The research work and contributions of Assoc. Prof. Yancho Zarev are in the field of Pharmacognosy, phytochemistry of natural compounds, and pharmaceutical biotechnology. During 2015–2016, he specialized at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and was part of a research group for the analysis of natural compounds (https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/research-groups/naturapt/).
He is the author of 33 publications, with over 120 citations in indexed journals. He is the author of a monograph titled “Advances in Erythrina latissima Research: Novel Compounds and Potential Therapeutic Applications.”
He is an expert in plant biotechnology, isolation and identification of biologically active natural compounds.
He is the recipient of the “Young Phytochemist of the Year” award for 2021, conferred by the Board of the Bulgarian Phytochemical Society.
He is a member of the Bulgarian Scientific Pharmaceutical Society (https://bsphs.org/) and the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union (https://www.bphu.bg/).

Research Grants:
● Contract No. D-162/14.06.2022 – Competition “Grant 2022” to the Council of Medical Science, MU-Sofia. Topic: Grape seeds (Vitis vinifera L.), source for oil production and investigation of its pharmacological activity.
● Contract No. D-202/03.08.2023 – Competition “Grant 2023” to the Council of Medical Science, MU-Sofia. Topic: Comparative LC/MS analysis of phenolic metabolites in representatives of the genus Cecropia.
● Contract No. D-105/04.06.2021 – Competition “Grant 2021” to the Council of Medical Science, MU-Sofia. Topic: Stimulation of flavonoid production in in vitro cultures of Gypsophila glomerata (Caryophyllaceae).
● Contract No. D-155/14.06.2022 – Competition “Grant 2022” to the Council of Medical Science, MU-Sofia. Topic: Biotechnological potential of the Balkan endemic Astragalus thracicus (Griseb) for obtaining rare cycloartane saponins.
● Contract No. D-203/03.08.2023 – Competition “Grant 2023” to the Council of Medical Science, MU-Sofia. Topic: In vitro platform for sustainable production of natural pharmacologically active molecules with therapeutic potential in cell systems of Astracantha aitosensis (arnacantha).

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5830-4697
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57194046179
https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/38482539
https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/2372402
https://ras.nacid.bg/dissertation-preview/48542