Prof Leonenko's visit has been funded by the Benjamin Meaker award, hosted by Dr Harniman of the UoB AFM Facility. The purpose of the visit is grant and consortium building to enhance Alzheimer's prevention through physico-chemical investigation of amyloid-membrane interactions with Bristol's world-leading AFM Technology Platform at its heart.
Prof. Leonenko has expertise in biophysics, biomedical nanotechnology and scanning probe microscopy. Her team at Waterloo provided significant advancement of knowledge in understanding the role of nanoscale structure of lipid membrane in molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Current research is focused on exploring new mechanisms of neuroprotection in Alzheimer’s disease by reinforcing neuronal membranes with small membrane-active molecules, such as melatonin, serotonin and psilocin.
Previously, Leonenko’s lab demonstrated that the changes in membrane composition play a crucial role in the mechanisms of amyloid toxicity (Drolle et al., PLoS ONE, 2017) which opens the possibility to protect them by altering membrane properties. Leonenko’s lab developed model lipid membranes mimicking healthy and AD neuronal conditions and investigated their interactions with Aβ using atomic force microscopy (AFM), Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), black lipid membrane (BLM) electrophysiology, and localized surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Their findings revealed that several membrane-active small molecules can alter lipid membrane properties and protect them from amyloid-induced damage. Specifically, melatonin—a neuroactive hormone—integrates into lipid membranes, reduces Aβ–membrane binding, and effectively protects early-stage AD membrane models but not those representing later stages (Mei et al., Nanotechnology, 2024). Similarly, trehalose demonstrated protective effects on lipid membrane models (Xu et al., Biophys. J., 2024; ACS Omega, 2025; Membranes, 2025). Collectively, these findings enhance the current understanding of the critical role of lipid membranes in AD pathogenesis and may inform the development of novel preventive strategies centered on membrane protection.
Dr Harniman and Prof Leonenko are keen to discuss plans and potential collaborations with colleagues in Bristol. If you would like to meet with Prof Leonenko any day in week commencing 10 November 2025, please contact Rob Harniman to arrange a time.