Aleksandr Kakinen

Dr Aleksandr Kakinen’s research aims to improve understanding of the molecular processes that drive neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. His work focuses on how misfolded proteins, inflammation, infection-related factors, and cellular stress contribute to disease progression.

This research helps build the knowledge needed to develop better diagnostic tools, therapeutic strategies, and disease models for neurodegenerative disorders.

Key areas of impact include:

• Improving understanding of disease mechanisms by studying how amyloid proteins form toxic aggregates and interact with inflammatory and microbial factors.
• Supporting therapeutic development by investigating brain-targeted delivery of neuroprotective molecules and peptides relevant to Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.
• Informing translational research through studies of amyloid structure, neuroinflammation, and cellular responses in neuronal and microglial models.
• Building international research capacity through collaborations with partners in Australia and Europe, linking expertise in biophysics, structural biology, neuroscience, and nanomedicine.
• Training future researchers through supervision, mentoring, and research-led teaching in molecular neuroscience and biophysics.

Through peer-reviewed publications, invited presentations, competitive funding, and collaborative projects, Dr Kakinen’s research contributes to global efforts to understand, diagnose, and eventually treat neurodegenerative diseases.