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CURRICULUM VITAE

Vanessa Leone PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Biophysics

OFFICE ADDRESS:
MACC Fund Research Center
8701 Watertown Plank Rd
Milwaukee, WI 53226

EDUCATION:
03/01/2000 - 04/01/2005 BS, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
10/01/2005 - 11/01/2009 PhD, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS), Trieste, Italy

POSTGRADUATE TRAINING AND FELLOWSHIP APPOINTMENTS:
11/01/2009 - 08/01/2013 Postdoctoral Fellow, Theoretical Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt (Germany)
09/01/2013 - 08/01/2015 Visiting Fellow, Theoretical Molecular Biophysics Section, National Institutes of Health (NHLBI), Bethesda, MD
08/01/2015 - 01/01/2017 Visiting Fellow, Computational Structural Biology, National Institutes of Health (NINDS), Bethesda, MD
01/01/2017 - 08/01/2019 Research Fellow, Computational Structural Biology, National Institutes of Health (NINDS), Bethesda, MD

FACULTY APPOINTMENTS:
09/01/2019 - 06/01/2024 Staff Scientist, Computational Structural Biology, National Institutes of Health (NINDS), Bethesda, MD
07/2024 - Present Assistant Professor, Biophysics Department and Data Science Institute, The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

AWARDS AND HONORS:
11/01/2005 - 11/01/2009 PhD Fellowship, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS)
09/01/2013 - 01/01/2017 Visiting Fellowship, National Institutes of Health
02/01/2014 Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, Permeation & Transport Subgroup Abstract selected as 'Postdoc Research Highlight'

MEMBERSHIPS IN HONORARY AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:
2009 - Present Biophysical Society
2012 - 2017 National System of Researchers (Uruguay)
2020 - Present Member of Sociedad de Biofísicos Latino Americanos (SoBLA)

EDITORSHIPS/EDITORIAL BOARDS/JOURNAL REVIEWS:
Journal Review
2010 - Present Journal of Molecular Modeling
2012 - Present PLoS ONE
2014 - Present BMC Structural Biology
2018 - Present Communication Biology
2020 - Present Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling
2020 - Present The Journal of General Physiology
2020 - Present Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
2022 - Present Nature Communications
2023 - Present Elife

LOCAL/REGIONAL APPOINTED LEADERSHIP AND COMMITTEE POSITIONS:
2022 - Present Appointed member, Staff Scientist Search Committee, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NATIONAL ELECTED/APPOINTED LEADERSHIP AND COMMITTEE POSITIONS:
02/2015 Chair, Membrane Pumps, Transporters, and Exchanges II Platform, Biophysical Society Annual Meeting
02/2017 Chair, Membrane Pumps, Transporters, and Exchanges II Platform, Biophysical Society Annual Meeting
2022 Reviewer, Outstanding Scholar in Neuroscience Award Program (OSNAP), National Institutes of Health (NCATS, NEI, NIDA, NIDCD, NIGMS, NIDCR, NIMH, NINDS)
2023 Reviewer, Outstanding Scholar in Neuroscience Award Program (OSNAP), National Institutes of Health (NCATS, NEI, NIDA, NIDCD, NIGMS, NIDCR, NIMH, NINDS)

RESEARCH GRANTS/AWARDS/CONTRACTS/PROJECTS:
Active
Non-Peer Review
Title:
Start-Up Funds
Source:
MCW Department of Biophysics, Data Science Institute, Cancer Center
Role & Effort:
Principal Investigator
Dates:
2024 - Present
  
Prior
Peer Review
Title:
Exploring the Conformational Space of Osmotic Stress-Sensing Domains in a Membrane Transport Protein
Source:
Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), o 2 Supercomputer Allocation
Role & Effort:
co-Principal Investigator
PI:
Lucy R Forrest Ph D
Dates:
12/01/2017 - 12/01/2018
  

INVITED LECTURES/WORKSHOPS/PRESENTATIONS:
International
2011 Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Laussane, Switzerland
2012 Pasteur Institute, Montevideo, Uruguay
2012 Seminar for the Bioinformatic Master, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
2016 QUITEL (Congress of Theoretical Chemists of Latin Expression), Montevideo, Uruguay
2023 Building Bridges in Computational Biophysics v2.0 (BBCBv2.0), hosted by Biophysical Society, virtual
2017 Conference on Atomistic Simulations of Biomolecules: Towards a Quantitative Understanding of Life Machinery, ICTP, Trieste, Italy
 
Local
2023 HOLA NINDS Mini-Symposium, Bethesda, USA
2010 Ostwald Colloquium, Max Planck of Biophysics, Frankfurt, Germany
2018 Structural Biology Interest Group and Membrane Protein Interest Group Students and Postdocs symposium, Bethesda, USA
 

PEER REVIEWED WORKSHOPS/PRESENTATIONS:
National
2014 Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, San Francisco, USA
2015 Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, Baltimore, USA
2023 Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, San Diego, USA
2020 Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, San Diego, USA
2017 Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, USA
 

MCW TEACHING ACTIVITIES:
Graduate Student Education
08/2024 - Present Biophysical Techniques in Biochemistry (#03226); "Molecular Modeling"
 

EXTRAMURAL TEACHING:
Graduate Student Education
2003 - 2005 Computer Lab and Exercise lectures of the Chemical Physics, University of the Republic (Uruguay), Course for the 2nd year of the Biochemistry undergraduate program
2003 - 2005 Computer Lab in Computational Chemistry course, University of the Republic (Uruguay), Optative for the 3rd year of the Biochemistry undergraduate program
2010 - Present Goethe University of Frankfurt, Germany, Computer Lab on Current Techniques in Membrane Proteomics (Module C1). Summer School
2010 - Present Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt, Germany, Computer Lab of the IMPReS course on modeling and simulation
2016 - Present Pasteur Institute, Montevideo, Uruguay, Theoretical Chemists of Latin Expression Congress (QUITEL), Enhanced sampling techniques in classical molecular dynamics simulations
 
Community/Lay Public
2003 - 2005 Intensive course for high-school teachers; "Computer-assisted design and visualization of the 3D structure of molecules and macromolecules"
 

EXTRAMURAL STUDENTS, FACULTY, RESIDENTS, AND CLINICAL/RESEARCH FELLOWS MENTORED:
Undergraduate Students
2010 - 2011 Florian Roessler, Co-mentor Bsc Thesis in Physics, University of Frankfurt, Currently an Engagement Director and Machine Learning Engineer at Unit8
2015 - 2016 Raven Shah, Co-mentor Postbaccaluareate Student, NINDS-NIH, Currently a Discovery Postdoctoral Scholar at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR)
2016 - 2018 Christina Stephens, Co-mentor Postbaccaluareate Student Postbaccaluareate Student, NINDS-NIH, Currently graduate student in the Biophysics program of UCSF
2019 Ntumba Sangwa, Summer Research Mentor, NINDS-NIH, Currently undergraduate student at John Hopkins University. For his summer work Loic earned the "Exceptional Summer Student Award" at the Poster session hosted by NINDS
2020 - 2023 Jessica Rana, Co-mentor Postbaccaluareate Student, NINDS-NIH, Currently MD/PhD candidate Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Virginia
2021 Shannon Ohara Wiora, Summer Research Mentor, NINDS-NIH, Currently undergraduate student at the College of William & Mary. For her summer project Shannon earned an "Honorable Mention" for the 2022 National Center for Women & Information Technology Collegiate (NCWIT) Award
2023 Aditi Thangavelu, Summer Research Mentor, NINDS-NIH, Currently undergraduate student at the University of Maryland
2023 - 2024 Adrian Korestky, Co-mentor Postbaccaluareate Student. For their work, NINDS-NIH, Adrian earned a "2024 NIH Postbac Poster Day Outstanding Poster Award"
 


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Refereed Journal Publications/Original Papers
1. Leone V, Lattanzi G, Molteni C, Carloni P. Mechanism of action of cyclophilin a explored by metadynamics simulations. PLoS Comput Biol. 2009 Mar;5(3):e1000309
2. D'Arco M, Giniatullin R, Leone V, Carloni P, Birsa N, Nair A, Nistri A, Fabbretti E. The C-terminal Src inhibitory kinase (Csk)-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation is a novel molecular mechanism to limit P2X3 receptor function in mouse sensory neurons. J Biol Chem. 2009 Aug 7;284(32):21393-401
3. Leone V, Krah A, Faraldo-Gómez JD. On the question of hydronium binding to ATP-synthase membrane rotors. Biophys J. 2010 Oct 6;99(7):L53-5
4. Pogoryelov D, Klyszejko AL, Krasnoselska GO, Heller EM, Leone V, Langer JD, Vonck J, Müller DJ, Faraldo-Gómez JD, Meier T. Engineering rotor ring stoichiometries in the ATP synthase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jun 19;109(25):E1599-608
5. Schlegel K, Leone V, Faraldo-Gómez JD, Müller V. Promiscuous archaeal ATP synthase concurrently coupled to Na+ and H+ translocation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jan 17;109(3):947-52. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1115796109
6. Mayer F, Leone V, Langer JD, Faraldo-Gómez JD, Müller V. A c subunit with four transmembrane helices and one ion (Na+)-binding site in an archaeal ATP synthase: implications for c ring function and structure. J Biol Chem. 2012 Nov 16;287(47):39327-37
7. Marinelli F, Sorrenti A, Corvaglia V, Leone V, Mancini G. Molecular description of the propagation of chirality from molecules to complex systems: different mechanisms controlled by hydrophobic interactions. Chemistry. 2012 Nov 12;18(46):14680-8
8. Schulz S, Iglesias-Cans M, Krah A, Yildiz O, Leone V, Matthies D, Cook GM, Faraldo-Gómez JD, Meier T. A new type of Na(+)-driven ATP synthase membrane rotor with a two-carboxylate ion-coupling motif. PLoS Biol. 2013;11(6):e1001596
9. Quy VC, Carnevale V, Manganaro L, Lusic M, Rossetti G, Leone V, Fenollar-Ferrer C, Raugei S, Del Sal G, Giacca M, Carloni P. HIV-1 integrase binding to its cellular partners: a perspective from computational biology. Curr Pharm Des. 2014;20(21):3412-21
10. *Leone V, Pogoryelov D, Meier T, Faraldo-Gómez JD. On the principle of ion selectivity in Na+/H+-coupled membrane proteins: experimental and theoretical studies of an ATP synthase rotor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Mar 10;112(10):E1057-66
11. *Leone V, Faraldo-Gómez JD. Structure and mechanism of the ATP synthase membrane motor inferred from quantitative integrative modeling. J Gen Physiol. 2016 Dec;148(6):441-457
12. Zhou W, Leone V, Krah A, Faraldo-Gómez JD. Predicted Structures of the Proton-Bound Membrane-Embedded Rotor Rings of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli ATP Synthases. J Phys Chem B. 2017 Apr 20;121(15):3297-3307
13. *Leone V, Waclawska I, Kossmann K, Koshy C, Sharma M, Prisner TF, Ziegler C, Endeward B, Forrest LR. Interpretation of spectroscopic data using molecular simulations for the secondary active transporter BetP. J Gen Physiol. 2019 Mar 4;151(3):381-394
14. Zhang YW, Uchendu S, Leone V, Bradshaw RT, Sangwa N, Forrest LR, Rudnick G. Chloride-dependent conformational changes in the GlyT1 glycine transporter. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Mar 9;118(10):e2017431118
15. *Leone V, Bradshaw RT, Koshy C, Lee PS, Fenollar-Ferrer C, Heinz V, Ziegler C, Forrest LR. Insights into autoregulation of a membrane protein complex by its cytoplasmic domains. Biophys J. 2023 Feb 7;122(3):577-594
 
Books, Chapters, and Reviews
1. Leone V, Marinelli F, Carloni P, Parrinello M. Targeting biomolecular flexibility with metadynamics. Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2010 Apr;20(2):148-54. doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2010.01.011. Epub 2010 Feb 18. PMID: 20171876.
 
Non-Refereed Journal Publications/Original Papers
1. Heinz V, Güler G, Leone V, Madej MG, Maksimov S, Gärtner RM, Rudi O, Hamdi F, Kastritis PL, Mäntele W, Krämer R, Forrest LR, Perez C, Ziegler C. Osmotic stress response in BetP: How lipids and K+ team up to overcome downregulation. bioRxiv 2022.06.02.493408o