Magdalena Ivanova

Dr. Magdalena Ivanova is a Research Professor of Neurology and affiliate of the Biophysics Program at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on understanding protein misfolding, aggregation, and their roles in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and ALS. She investigates α-synuclein, amyloid-β, tau, TDP-43, and UBQLN2, employing biophysical, biochemical, and cellular methods.

• Education: PhD in Molecular Biophysics (Florida State University), Postdoctoral Research (UCLA Molecular Biology Institute).
• Affiliations: Michigan Neuroscience Institute, Biophysics Program, Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP).

Her research explores mechanisms of protein phase separation, aggregation toxicity, and cross-seeding in amyloidopathies. Recent work includes studying SARS-CoV-2’s role in proteopathic aggregation linked to Alzheimer’s-like pathologies. She teaches biophysics courses, including Biophysics of Disease and Medical Physics, emphasizing interdisciplinary applications.

Publications highlight her work on ganglioside modulation of protein aggregation, molecular tweezers as therapeutic tools, and structural studies of amyloid fibrils. Her lab’s current projects address α-synuclein heterogeneity in disease phenotypes and ubiquilin phase separation in neurodegeneration.