Maria Stepanova, University of Alberta

Latest papers

A model-based prion vaccine protects a transgenic mouse line carrying a Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease mutation.
Acta neuropathologica · 2026
Plasmonics-Enhanced Characterization of Cervid PrP (87-114) Fragment Aggregates in Solution.
Journal of biophotonics · 2026 · senior author
Multiscale simulations of folded and intrinsically disordered region-containing protein condensates.
Biophysical journal · 2026 · senior author

All 23 publications

Latest funding

Cross-Disciplinary Nanoplasmonics-Enabled Platform for Characterization and Analysis of Biomolecular Condensates
SSHRC · 2021 · Principal investigator
$250,000
Nanofabrication and Characterization Platform for Novel NanoBiological Architectures
NSERC · 2018 · Principal investigator
$168,000
Nanofabrication and characterization platform for novel bioNEMS architectures
NSERC · 2011 · Principal investigator
$140,000

All 4 grants and awards

23 publications.

01

A model-based prion vaccine protects a transgenic mouse line carrying a Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease mutation.

Fang A, Tang X, Fleming M, Tancowny B, Wang X, Wang Y, Daude N, Dorosh L, Fleck SC, Rathod V, Coustou V, Cervantes SA, Velásquez CD, Westaway D, Aiken J, McKenzie D, Telling G, Stepanova M, Saupe SJ, Siemer AB, Wille H

Acta neuropathologica2026

DOI: 10.1007/s00401-026-03015-4 PMID: 41995880

02

Plasmonics-Enhanced Characterization of Cervid PrP (87-114) Fragment Aggregates in Solution.

Midha S, Sriraman A, Dorosh L, Wille H, Stepanova M

Journal of biophotonics2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1002/jbio.202500428 PMID: 41292430

03

Multiscale simulations of folded and intrinsically disordered region-containing protein condensates.

Dorosh L, Wille H, Stepanova M

Biophysical journal2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2025.10.018 PMID: 41088757

04

SERS probing of fungal HET-s fibrils formed at neutral and acidic pH conditions.

Wu M, Flores-Fernandez JM, Wang Y, Ahmed H, Wille H, Stepanova M

Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2023.123817 PMID: 38211445

05

Essential collective dynamics analysis reveals nonlocal interactions of alpha-synuclein38-95 monomers with fibrillar seeds.

Wu M, Wille H, Stepanova M

The Journal of chemical physics2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1063/5.0116032 PMID: 36550041

06

Significance of native PLGA nanoparticles in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Anand B, Wu Q, Nakhaei-Nejad M, Karthivashan G, Dorosh L, Amidian S, Dahal A, Li X, Stepanova M, Wille H, Giuliani F, Kar S

Bioactive materials2022

DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2022.05.030 PMID: 36330076

07

Prion protein with a mutant N-terminal octarepeat region undergoes cobalamin-dependent assembly into high-molecular weight complexes.

Daude N, Lau A, Vanni I, Kang SG, Castle AR, Wohlgemuth S, Dorosh L, Wille H, Stepanova M, Westaway D

The Journal of biological chemistry2022

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101770 PMID: 35271850

08

Aggregation of Aβ40/42 chains in the presence of cyclic neuropeptides investigated by molecular dynamics simulations.

Wu M, Dorosh L, Schmitt-Ulms G, Wille H, Stepanova M

PLoS computational biology2021Senior author

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008771 PMID: 33711010

09

Combining molecular dynamics simulations and experimental analyses in protein misfolding.

Wille H, Dorosh L, Amidian S, Schmitt-Ulms G, Stepanova M

Advances in protein chemistry and structural biology2019Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2019.10.001 PMID: 31928730

10

A novel Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease mutation defines a precursor for amyloidogenic 8 kDa PrP fragments and reveals N-terminal structural changes shared by other GSS alleles.

Mercer RCC, Daude N, Dorosh L, Fu ZL, Mays CE, Gapeshina H, Wohlgemuth SL, Acevedo-Morantes CY, Yang J, Cashman NR, Coulthart MB, Pearson DM, Joseph JT, Wille H, Safar JG, Jansen GH, Stepanova M, Sykes BD, Westaway D

PLoS pathogens2018

DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006826 PMID: 29338055

Cross-Disciplinary Nanoplasmonics-Enabled Platform for Characterization and Analysis of Biomolecular Condensates

Principal investigatorSSHRC2021New Frontiers in Research Fund - Exploration

Principal investigators: Stepanova, Maria

Keywords: Liquid-liquid phase transitions Protein phase-condensates Protein misfolding diseases Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Plasmonic photo-catalysis Plasmonic nanostructures Nanofabrication

$250,000

Nanofabrication and Characterization Platform for Novel NanoBiological Architectures

Principal investigatorNSERC2018Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Stepanova, Maria

$168,000

Nanofabrication and characterization platform for novel bioNEMS architectures

Principal investigatorNSERC2011Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Stepanova, Maria

$140,000

Comparative analysis, modeling, and optimization of nanocrystal synthesis for magnetic storage and field emission

Principal investigatorNSERC2006Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Stepanova, Maria

$95,000

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Medicine/Neurology
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Biochemistry
Medicine
Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Oncology
Other

Co-authors at University of Alberta, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Holger Wille

Biochemistry

11 shared papers, latest 2026

David Westaway

Medicine

3 shared papers, latest 2026

Jack Tuszynski

Oncology

2 shared papers, latest 2011

Gerold Schmitt-Ulms

Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases

2 shared papers, latest 2021

Fabrizio Giuliani

Medicine/Neurology

1 shared papers, latest 2022

Sabine Gilch

Faculty

1 shared papers, latest 2017

Khaled Barakat

Faculty

1 shared papers, latest 2011

Satyabrata Kar

Medicine/Neurology

1 shared papers, latest 2022

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their SSHRC grant from 2021

Subject: Prospective PhD student Dear Professor Stepanova, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "A model-based prion vaccine protects a transgenic mouse line carrying a Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease mutation." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your SSHRC-funded project "Cross-Disciplinary Nanoplasmonics-Enabled Platform for Characterization and Analysis of Biomolecular Condensates" (2021), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]

Maria Stepanova

Latest papers

Latest funding

A model-based prion vaccine protects a transgenic mouse line carrying a Gerstmann-Str&#xe4;ussler-Scheinker disease mutation.

Plasmonics-Enhanced Characterization of Cervid PrP (87-114) Fragment Aggregates in Solution.

Multiscale simulations of folded and intrinsically disordered region-containing protein condensates.

SERS probing of fungal HET-s fibrils formed at neutral and acidic pH conditions.

Essential collective dynamics analysis reveals nonlocal interactions of alpha-synuclein38-95 monomers with fibrillar seeds.

Significance of native PLGA nanoparticles in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Prion protein with a mutant N-terminal octarepeat region undergoes cobalamin-dependent assembly into high-molecular weight complexes.

Aggregation of A&#x3b2;40/42 chains in the presence of cyclic neuropeptides investigated by molecular dynamics simulations.

Combining molecular dynamics simulations and experimental analyses in protein misfolding.

A novel Gerstmann-Str&#xe4;ussler-Scheinker disease mutation defines a precursor for amyloidogenic 8 kDa PrP fragments and reveals N-terminal structural changes shared by other GSS alleles.

Cross-Disciplinary Nanoplasmonics-Enabled Platform for Characterization and Analysis of Biomolecular Condensates

Nanofabrication and Characterization Platform for Novel NanoBiological Architectures

Nanofabrication and characterization platform for novel bioNEMS architectures

Comparative analysis, modeling, and optimization of nanocrystal synthesis for magnetic storage and field emission

Frequent collaborators

Holger Wille

David Westaway

Jack Tuszynski

Gerold Schmitt-Ulms

Fabrizio Giuliani

Sabine Gilch

Khaled Barakat

Satyabrata Kar

A model-based prion vaccine protects a transgenic mouse line carrying a Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease mutation.

Aggregation of Aβ40/42 chains in the presence of cyclic neuropeptides investigated by molecular dynamics simulations.

A novel Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease mutation defines a precursor for amyloidogenic 8 kDa PrP fragments and reveals N-terminal structural changes shared by other GSS alleles.