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Simona Vuletic, M.D.

Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition

Research Assistant Professor of Medicine


My research interests include metabolism of lipids, lipoproteins and lipid transfer proteins in the brain with an emphasis on neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases; the role of lipid transfer proteins in inflammation and cardiovascular disease; and basic biology of lipid transfer proteins [in particular phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP)], including their role in signal transduction and intracellular processes, as well as structure-function studies.


Vuletic S, Jin LW, Marcovina SM, Peskind ER, Möller T, Albers JJ: Widespread distribution of phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) in human central nervous system: evidence for PLTP synthesis by glia and neurons and for increased levels in Alzheimer’s disease. J Lipid Res 44:1113-1123, 2003.

O’Brien KD, Vuletic S, McDonald TO, Wolfbauer G, Lewis K, Tu A-Y, Marcovina SM, Wight TN, Chait A, Albers JJ: Cell-associated and extracellular phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) in human coronary atherosclerosis. Circulation 108:270-4, 2003.

Vuletic S, Peskind ER, Marcovina SM, Quinn JF, Cheung MC, Kennedy H, Kaye JA, Jin L-W, Albers JJ: Reduced CSF PLTP activity in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurologic diseases; PLTP induces apoE secretion in primary human astrocytes in vitro. J Neurosci Res 80:406-13; 2005.

Vuletic S, Riekse RG, Marcovina SM, Peskind ER, Hazzard WB, Albers JJ. Statins of different brain penetrability differentially affect CSF PLTP activity. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders 22:392-398, 2005.

Vuletic S, Li G, Peskind ER, Kennedy H, Marcovina SM, Leverenz JB, Petrie E, Lee VMY, Galasko D, Schellenberg GD, Albers JJ. ApoE highly correlates with APP- and tau-related markers in human CSF. J Alz Dis 15:409-417, 2008.

Vuletic S, Dong W, Wolfbauer G, Day JR, Albers JJ. PLTP is present in the nucleus and its nuclear export is CRM1-dependent. Biochim Biophys Acta 1793:584-591, 2009.

Dong W, Albers JJ, Vuletic S. Phospholipid transfer protein reduces tau phosphorylation in human neuronal cells. J Neurosci Res 87:3176-3185, 2009.

Dong W, Vuletic S, Albers JJ. Differential effects of simvastatin and pravastatin on expression of Alzheimer’s disease-related genes in human astrocytes and neuronal cells. J Lipid Res 50:2095-2102, 2009.

Albers JJ, Vuletic S, Cheung MC. Role of Plasma Phospholipid Transfer Protein in Lipid and Lipoprotein Metabolism. Biochim Biophys Acta 2011, doi: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2011.06.013.

Vuletic S, W. Dong, G. Wolfbauer, T. Chongren, JJ. Albers. PLTP regulates STAT3 and NFκB in differentiated THP1 cells and human monocyte-derived macrophages. Biochim Biophys Acta 1813:1917-1924, 2011.