Leon Coleman Jr.

Leon Coleman Jr. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. His research focuses on neuroimmune signaling, extracellular vesicle biology, and alcohol use disorders (AUD), particularly their connections to neurodegeneration and epigenetic mechanisms.

• Key Affiliations: Member of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies

Research Overview: Dr. Coleman investigates how chronic ethanol exposure activates innate immune pathways (e.g., Toll-like receptors, HMGB1/IL-1β complexes) to drive neuroinflammation and behavioral pathologies in AUD and Alzheimer's disease. He also explores extracellular vesicles as biomarkers and therapeutic vehicles for systemic inflammatory conditions, including those linked to alcohol abuse, burns, and radiation injury.

Publication Trends: Recent work emphasizes alcohol-induced lysosomal dysfunction in Alzheimer's pathology, G9a/GLP epigenetic signaling, and vesicle-mediated neuroimmune communication. Studies span preclinical models (3xTg-AD mice), human postmortem analysis, and multi-organ immune dysfunction.

Additional Roles: Collaborator in trauma immunology research involving severe burn injuries and radiation exposure, where extracellular vesicles modulate macrophage function and hospital outcomes.