Leon Coleman

Leon Coleman, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, and a member of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies. His research focuses on neuroimmune mechanisms in alcohol use disorders (AUD) and systemic inflammatory diseases.

Research Interests:

• Neuroimmune signaling in AUD and neurodegeneration
• Extracellular vesicle-mediated communication
• Alcohol-induced immune dysfunction in sepsis and cancer
• Epigenetic and developmental consequences of adolescent alcohol exposure
• Therapeutic applications of extracellular vesicles

Key Trends from Publications:

• 2023-2025 work highlights alcohol's role in accelerating Alzheimer's pathology via HMGB1 signaling
• 2022-2024 studies explore EVs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in trauma and AD
• 2020-2021 research links microglial dynamics to ethanol neurotoxicity
• Longitudinal analyses of adolescent binge drinking effects on adult brain structure