Dr Leonid Nikitenko is an endothelial cell and cancer biologist. His basic and clinical laboratory research is interdisciplinary (linking biology, medicine and computer science) and focused on studying the role of human endothelial cells in chronic diseases (including cancer, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, cardiovascular disease and lymphoedema) and multimorbidity, and on early detection and diagnosis of cancer by using platform technologies https://www.endothelial-cell.com/
Alumni from Dr Nikitenko's laboratory and his former tutees at the University of Hull are next generation biomedical scientists who now continue their careers at the Universities of Oxford, Warwick, Manchester and London or in hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry and biotech companies nationwide and abroad https://www.endothelial-cell.com/people/alumni
2022-present Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences (Teaching and Research), Centre for Biomedicine, Hull-York Medical School, University of Hull.
2015-2022 Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences (Teaching and Scholarship, 2015-2018 and Teaching and Research, 2018-2022), Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Hull.
2013-2015 Senior Postdoctoral Scientist, University of Oxford.
2006-2013 Senior Research Fellow, University College London.
2011-2013 College Lecturer in Cancer Biology (Part-time), University College London.
2002-2014 Tutor and College Lecturer in Molecular/Cellular Biomedicine/Medicine (Part-time), Keble College, University of Oxford.
2002-2005 Research Fellow RSII, University of Oxford.
1999-2002 Research Fellow RAI, University of Oxford.
1997-1998 Research Assistant, University of Liverpool.
1996-1997 Research Assistant, Babraham Institute, University of Cambridge.
Research Interests
Leonid Nikitenko's interdisciplinary (linking biology, medicine and computer science) research is focused on studying the role of human endothelial cells in health and chronic diseases, and on early detection and diagnosis of cancer, by using platform (“-omics”, high content or super-resolution imaging/microscopy) technologies https://www.endothelial-cell.com/
Current and recent grants:
MRC, £718,000 (Nikitenko LL, Palmer T, Hardman M). RISE: Establishing super-Resolution Imaging in Hull for impactful multimorbidity ReSEarch_MRC Equip: Purchase mid-range equipment for biomedical research. Confocal Imaging ZEISS Elyra 7 with Lattice SIM². 2024.
Wolfson Foundation, £500,000 (Nikitenko LL, Palmer T, Hardman M). The Wolfson Advanced Imaging Centre (WAIC): Delivering Molecular Imaging Capabilities For Impactful Multimorbidity Research. Imaging infrastructure development grant. 2024.
Oxford Hospitals Charity, £47,042 (Nikitenko LL, Pezella F.). Meta-analysis of endothelial cell profiles in lymphoma by using single cell RNA sequencing. 2024-2025.
Animal Free Research, £24,606 (Nikitenko LL, Hart S, Greenman J. ). Fully humanised model of aged endothelium to study ageing-associated lung diseases. 2024.
Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust, £6,000 (Nikitenko LL and Maraveyas A.). Single cell sequencing meta-analysis of pancreatic cyst fluid for early detection of cancer. 2024.
Cancer Research Horizons, £38,500 (Nikitenko LL., Chang D., Kessler B., O’Brien D. and Maraveyas A.). PDF funding for EARLY DIAPAC study patent. 2023-2024.
Cancer Research UK, £98,509 (Nikitenko LL., Kramer H., Chang D. and Maraveyas A.). EARLY DIAPAC: EARLY DIAgnosis of PAncreatic Cancer by combined proteomics and genomics testing of pancreatic cyst fluid. 2022-2024.
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), £109,000 (Nikitenko LL. and Maraveyas A.). Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) in Clinical or Medical Oncology with a focus on Cancer Genomics. 2024-2027.
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), £106,971 (Nikitenko LL. and Maraveyas A.). Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) in Clinical or Medical Oncology with a focus on Cancer Genomics. 2023-2026.
Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust, £530,587 (Nikitenko LL, Ettelaie C and Maraveyas A.). TEM-PAC2: Study of Tumour Regulatory Molecules as Markers of Malignancy in Pancreatic Cystic Lesions (Three projects). 2023-2025.
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), £100,738 (Nikitenko LL. and Maraveyas A.). Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) in Clinical or Medical Oncology with a focus on Cancer Genomics. 2020-2023.
Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust, £6,000 (Nikitenko LL and Maraveyas A.). Quantitative proteomic analysis of pancreatic cyst fluid for early detection of cancer using University of Hull HPC Viper. 2022.
Animal Free Research UK Summer Scholarship, £3,560 (Nikitenko LL and Hoyes R.). Fully humanized model to study the role of endothelial cells in ageing human lung. 2022.
Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust. £411 (Nikitenko LL, Jagielka K and Hart S.). Development and publication of the booklet for the pulmonary fibrosis (Second Edition). 2022.
GlaxoSmithKline. £40,361 (Nikitenko LL.). Analysis of pharmacology of compounds targeting apoptotic pathways in primary endothelial cells. 2020-2021.
Kate Garthwaite Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Fund, £35,898 (Nikitenko LL. and Hart S.). A study of the endothelium in pulmonary fibrosis PhD Scholarship. 2020-2023.
Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust, £22,980 (Nikitenko LL, Ettelaie C and Maraveyas A.). A Study of Tumour Regulatory Molecules as Markers of Malignancy in Pancreatic Cystic Lesions (TEM-PAC). 2021-2023.
Castle Hill Charitable Melanoma Fund, £14,288 (Nikitenko LL. and Maraveyas A.). Cellular and molecular mechanisms of in-transit melanoma metastases. PhD Scholarship. 2019-2022.
Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust, £293,226 (Nikitenko LL, Ettelaie C and Maraveyas A.). Differentiating and malignant potential of pancreatic cysts. 2017-2022.
The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland Bursary, £1,200 (Nikitenko LL and Ikar A.). Investigating RAMP2 expression in pathologies associated with endothelial cell dysfunction. 2020.
Pulmonary Fibrosis Trust. £322 (Nikitenko LL, Jagielka K and Hart S.). Development and publication of the booklet for the pulmonary fibrosis (First Edition). 2020.
Wellcome Trust Biomedical Vacation Scholarship, £2,768 (Nikitenko LL and Manolis D.). Dissecting the roles of neuropeptide CGRP and G-protein coupled receptor CLR in human lymphatic endothelial cells. 2019.
Biochemical Society U.K. Summer Studentship, £1,600 (Nikitenko LL and Ryskiewicz O.). The characterisation of G-protein coupled receptor CLR in human endothelial cells. 2019.
British Society for Cell Biology Summer Studentship, £1,600 (Nikitenko LL, Jagielka K. and Rivero-Crespo F.). Dissecting the role of the neuropeptide CGRP in regulating human lymphatic endothelial cell monolayer permeability and the cytoskeleton. 2019.
Animal Free Research UK Summer Scholarship, £1,982 (Nikitenko LL and Faulkner E.L.). Development of fully humanised animal free models to study the role of endothelial cells in chronic diseases. 2018.
Biochemical Society U.K. Summer Studentship, £1,800 (Nikitenko LL and Brown L.). Dissecting cellular and molecular mechanisms of ANGPTL2 effects on vessel maturation during sarcoma progression. 2017.
University of Hull PhD Scholarships Fund, £195,768 (Nikitenko LL, Wollenberg Valero K, Rivero-Crespo F, Ettelaie C, Greenman J, Hart S, Sturge J. and Maraveyas A. Health*GDP). PhD Cluster Health Global Data Pipeline for biomedical research and clinical applications. (Three PhD Scholarships). 2018-2022.
University of Hull 2022 Graduate Internships Scheme, £9,762 (two internships; £4,881 each) (Nikitenko LL.). 2022.
University of Hull 2020 Graduate Internships Scheme, £19,524 (four internships; £4,881 each) (Nikitenko LL.). 2020.
University of Hull School of Life Sciences Research Support Fund, £1,500 (Nikitenko LL.). Neuropeptide CGRP effects on human lymphatic endothelial cell biology. 2019.
University of Hull Faculty of Science and Engineering Research Support Fund, £3.446 (Nikitenko LL.). Proof of principle project Novel targets for translational research in cancer and cardiovascular disease. 2017.
ISIS, University of Oxford, £25,000 (Nikitenko LL, Ramadass A. and Akoulitchev A.). Chromosomal Conformations Fingerprints as diagnostic/prognostic markers for cancer (disease) detection. 2006.
Teaching and Learning
MSc Programmes
- Professional and Research Skills in Oncology and Biomedical Science
- Current Topics in Biomedical Science
- Advances in Cancer
- Research Project and Dissertation, 60 credits
BScProgrammes
- Cell Structure and Function (module lead)
- Cancer Biology (module lead)
- Cellular Pathology
- Biological Basis of Disease
- Professional and Research Skills in Biomedical Science and Human Biology
- Final Year Research Project and Dissertation, 40 credits
Applications from prospective PhD or Masters by Thesis (Research) students (basic scientists or medically trained individuals) wishing to join Dr Nikitenko's research group and thriving postgraduate community at the Centre for Biomedicine at Hull-York Medical School are welcome at any time.
In particular, Dr Nikitenko invites expression of interest and applications in the following areas of research:
- Novel molecular mechanisms regulating endothelial cells properties and function in health and chronic diseases.
- G-protein coupled receptors as targets for imaging and therapy in cardiovascular disease, cancer, lymphoedema and lung disease.
- Platform science approaches (next generation sequencing, label-free quantitative proteomics, high content imaging and bioinformatics) to study endothelial and cancer cell biology.
- Three-dimensional models and gene editing to study the role for endothelial cells in tumour microenvironment in cancer progression.
- Proteomics of lymphatic endothelial cells.
- Cancer progression and resistance to targeted therapies .
- Early diagnosis and detection of cancer.
Completed PhDs:
Eamon Faulkner (2024) Investigation of Ageing Human Lung Endothelial Cells in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Paulo Saldanha (2024) Biochemical Characterisation of the Interaction of the Myosin Light Chain Phosphatase with the Regulatory Subunits of Protein Kinase A in Cells of the Circulatory System.
Farzana Haque (2023) Biological Function and Clinical Implication of Coagulation Proteins During Malignant Transformation of Pancreatic Cells.
Shirin Hasan (2023) Investigation of Calcitonin Receptor-Like Receptor in Human Dermal Lymphatics Endothelial Cells in In-Transit Melanoma.
Matthew Morfitt (2023) Calcitonin Receptor-Like Receptor in Endothelial Cells as a Potential Target for Renal Cancer Therapy.
Completed MRes:
Amelia Gamble (2018) The Study of Calcitonin Receptor-Like Receptor Expression in Human Primary Dermal Blood Endothelial Cells.
Completed ACF:
Adenike Adekeye (2023) Investigation of molecular pathways of pancreatic cancer carcinogenesis from pancreatic cystic neoplasms to adenocarcinoma.
