Dr. Erika Villanueva

Biography

Erika Villanueva is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology. With a PhD in Neuroscience, she focuses on neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, particularly in relation to Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. Her research background includes investigating the role of type-I interferon signaling in central nervous system homeostasis and characterizing glial cell-mediated neurotoxicity in neurodegenerative contexts. Villanueva has been involved in multiple research projects during her postdoctoral tenure, including exploring neuroglial communication in Huntington's disease and the inflammatory pathways associated with GPR15 T-cell mediated inflammation. Prior to her current role, she gained significant research experience as a technician at the Centre of Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics and engaged in projects that characterized behavioral neuropathological aspects of preclinical mouse models for Huntington's disease. Villanueva holds a Master’s degree in Biology from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor’s degree in Health Studies from the University of Waterloo. Her expertise spans various domains of neurobiology, making her a promising contributor to the understanding of neurodegenerative disorders.

Research Interests

Experience