Prof. Eugene D. Ponomarev is currently appointed as an Associate Professor to the Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Humanities, Nazarbayev University, and his research interests are related to the immunological aspects of inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and epilepsy. Previously, Prof. Ponomarev accomplished his postdoctoral training in neurology and immunology at Blood Center of Wisconsin (Medical College of Wisconsin) and Harvard Medical School (Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital) in the USA. He was later appointed as an Assistant Professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and then at the School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, SAR, China). Prof. Ponomarev’s research has international recognition in the field of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, and he published more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles (20 as a last/corresponding author) in top international academic journals such as Journal of Immunology (IF=5), Frontiers in Immunology (IF=8), Journal of Neuroscience (IF=7), Brain, Behavior, and Immunity (IF=19), Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience (IF=6), Neurobiology of Aging (IF=5), Circulation Research (IF=23), Nature Medicine (IF=25), etc. The latest high-profile paper was published in Progress in Neurobiology (IF=12) in 2020.  Prof. Ponomarev’s publications have been cited more than 5000 times with an h-index 28/26/26 (Google Scholar/Scopus/WoS). Prof. Ponomarev is serving as an editorial board member for the Immunology & Cell Biology (journal of an Australian Immunological Society, IF=5) and Biomolecules (IF=5) journals, and as a reviewer for many top academic journals such as Nature Communications. The results from Prof. Ponomarev’s laboratory were presented at numerous international conferences and academic institutions around the world.

Main ongoing research projects:
1) The role of platelets and brain-specific glycolipids in the regulation of neuroinflammation and neuronal repair in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy;
2) Transcriptional control of macrophage/microglia activation;
3) The role of B1 B cells and central nervous system immunoglobulins in neuronal repair;
4) The role of lipids in M2-like activation of microglia and macrophages.

All directions of the research program are supported by prestigious NIH-RO1, RGC (ECS, GRF, CRF, and AoE schemes), and HMRF grants from the US and Hong Kong Governments, and by many other competitive grants from various sources.

1. Xiang, T., Feng, D., Zhang, X., Chen, Y., Wang, H., Liu, X., Gong, Z., Yuan, J., Liu, M., Sha, Z., Lu, C., Jiang, W., Nie, M., Fan, Y., Wu, D., Dong, S., Feng, J., Ponomarev, E.D.*, Zhang, J., & Jiang, R. Effects of increased intracranial pressure on cerebrospinal fluid influx, cerebral vascular hemodynamic indexes, and cerebrospinal fluid lymphatic efflux. (2022). Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism. doi: 10.1177/0271678X221119855.
2. Strekalova, T., Svirin, E., Veniaminova, E., Kopeikina, E., Veremeyko, T., Yung, A.W.Y., Proshin, A.,  Walitza, S.,  Anthony, D.,  Lim, L.W., Lesch, K.P., & Ponomarev E.D*. ASD-like behaviours, a dysregulated inflammatory response and decreased expression of PLP1 characterise mice deficient for sialyltransferase ST3GAL5. (2021). Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity – Health. 16: 100306. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100306.
3. Strekalova, T., Veniaminova, T., Svirin E., Kopeikina, E., Veremeyko, T., Yung, A.W.Y., Proshin, A., Tan, S.Z.K., Khairuddin, S., Lim, L.W., Lesch, K.P., Walitza, S., Anthony, D.C., & Ponomarev E.D*. Sex-specific ADHD-like behaviour, altered metabolic functions, and altered EEG activity in sialyltransferase ST3GAL5-deficient mice. (2021). 11(12): 1759. Doi: 10.3390/biom11121759.
4. Kopeikina, E., & Ponomarev, E.D*. The role of platelets in the stimulation of neuronal synaptic plasticity, electric activity, and oxidative phosphorylation: possibilities for new therapy of neurodegenerative diseases. (2021). Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. 15: 680126. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2021.680126.
5. Kopeikina, E., Dukhinova, M., Yung, A.W.Y., Veremeyko, T., Kuznetsova, I.S., Lau, T.Y.B., Levchuk, K., & Ponomarev, E.D*. (2020). Platelets promote epileptic seizures by modulating brain serotonin level, enhancing neuronal electric activity, and contributing to neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. Progress in Neurobiology, 188: 101783. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2020.101783.
6. Veremeyko, T., Yung, A.W.Y., Dukhinova, M., Strekalova, T. & Ponomarev, E.D*. (2019). The Role of Neuronal Factors in the Epigenetic Reprogramming of Microglia in the Normal and Diseased Central Nervous System. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 13, 453. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00453.
7. Dukhinova, M., Veremeyko, T., Yung, A.W.Y., Kuznetsova, I.S., Lau, T.Y.B., Kopeikina, E., Chan, A.M.L. & Ponomarev, E.D*. (2019). Fresh evidence for major brain gangliosides as a target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Neurobiol Aging, 77, 128-143. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.01.020.
8. Veremeyko, T., Kuznetsova, I.S., Dukhinova, M., Yung, A.W.Y., Kopeikina, E., Barteneva, N.S. & Ponomarev E.D.* (2019). Neuronal Extracellular MicroRNAs miR-124 and miR-9 Mediate Cell-Cell Communication between Neurons and Microglia. J Neurosci Res, 97 (2): 162-184. doi: 10.1002/jnr.24344.
9. Veremeyko, T., Yung, A.W.Y., Anthony, D.C., Strekalova, T. & Ponomarev E.D*. (2018). Early growth response gene-2 is essential for M1 and M2 macrophage activation and plasticity by modulation of the transcription factor CEBPβ. Frontiers in Immunology, doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02515.
10. Dukhinova, M., Kuznetsova, I., Kopeikina, E., Veniaminova, E., Yung, A.W.Y., Veremeyko, T., Levchuk, K., Barteneva, N.S., Wing-Ho, K.K., Yung, W.H., Liu, J.Y.H., Rudd, J., Yau, S.S.Y., Anthony, D.C, Strekalova, T., & Ponomarev E.D*. (2018). Platelets mediate protective neuroinflammation and promote neuronal plasticity at the site of neuronal injury. Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity, 74: 7-27. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2018.09.009.
11. Veremeyko, T., Yung, A.W.Y., Dukhinova, M., Kuznetsova, I.S., Pomytkin, I., Lyundup, A., Strekalova, T., Barteneva, N., & Ponomarev E.D*. (2018). Cyclic AMP pathway suppress autoimmune neuroinflammation by inhibiting functions of encephalitogenic CD4 T cells and enhancing M2 macrophage polarization at the site of inflammation. Frontiers in Immunology, doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00050.
12. Pomytkin, I., Costa-Nunes, J.P., Kasatkin, V., Veniaminova, E., Demchenko, A., Lyundup, A., Lesh, K.P., Ponomarev E.D.*, & Strekalova T*. (2018). Insulin receptor in the brain: mechanisms of activation and the role in the CNS pathology and treatment. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, 24 (9): 763-774. doi: 10.1111/cns.
13. Ponomarev E.D*. (2018). Fresh evidence for platelets as neuronal and innate immune cells: their role in the activation, differentiation, and deactivation of Th1, Th17 and Tregs during tissue inflammation. Frontiers in Immunology, doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00406.
14. Starossom, S.C., Veremeyko, T., Dukhinova, M., Yung, A.W.Y., Weiner, H.L. & Ponomarev E.D*. (2015). Platelets Play Differential Role in the Regulation of the Initiation and Progression of Autoimmune Neuroinflammation. Circulation Research, 117 (9): 779-792.
15. Starossom, S.C., Veremeyko, T., Dukhinova, M., Yung, A.W.Y. & Ponomarev E.D*. (2014). Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone) modulates platelet activation and inhibits thrombin-induced calcium influx: possible role of Copaxone in targeting platelets during autoimmune neuroinflammation. PLOS ONE, 9 (5): e96256.
16. Veremeyko, T., Siddiqui, S., Sotnikov, I., Yung, A.W.Y. & Ponomarev E.D*. (2013). IL-4/IL-13-Dependent and Independent Expression of miR-124 and its Contribution to M2 Phenotype of Monocytic Cells in Normal Conditions and During Allergic Inflammation. PLOS ONE, 8(12): e81774.
17. Sotnikov, I., Vermeyko, T., Starossom, S.C., Barteneva, N., Weiner H.L. & Ponomarev E.D*. (2013). Platelets recognize brain-specific glycolipid structures, respond to neurovascular damage and promote neuroinflammation. PLOS ONE, 8 (3): e58979.
18. Veremeyko, T., Starossom, S.C., Weiner, H.L. & Ponomarev E.D*. (2012). Detection of microRNAs in microglia by real-time PCR in normal CNS and during neuroinflammation. J. Vis. Exp., 65: 10.3791/4097.
19. Ponomarev, E.D., Veremeyko, T., Krichevsky, A.K., & Weiner, H.L. MicroRNA-124 promotes microglia quiescence and suppresses EAE by deactivating macrophages via the CEBPα-PU.1 pathway. Nature Medicine 2011, 17: 64-70.
20. Ponomarev E.D., Maresz, K., Tan, Y., & Dittel, B.N. CNS-Derived Interleukin-4 is Essential for the Regulation of Autoimmune Inflammation and Induces a State of Alternative Activation in Microglial Cells. Neuroscience. 2007. 27: 10714-10721.

*Corresponding author

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