معرفی
Stefanka Spassieva is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Kentucky. She is affiliated with the Markey Cancer Center/Cancer Research Priority Initiative, Neuroscience Research Priority Area, and Cardiovascular Research Priority Area.
- Education:
- Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Groningen (2003)
- M.Sc. in Molecular Biology, University of Plovdiv (1999)
Her research focuses on sphingolipid metabolism and its role in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's Disease, and cancer. Key areas include ceramide signaling, extracellular vesicles, and oxidative stress.
Recent projects as Principal Investigator include studies on deoxysphingolipids in taxane-induced neuropathy (2025–), ceramide in extracellular vesicle-mediated neurodegeneration (2022–2025), and exosome release in Alzheimer's disease (2022–2023). Collaborations with Erhard Bieberich and others explore experimental models of extracellular vesicle effects on neurons.
Her work has been supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging, Veterans Affairs, and the American Cancer Society. Co-authors on recent publications include Zhaoxian Zhong, Silvia Quadri, and Monika Nikolova-Karakashian.
