Phone
608-262-5551Office Location
1993 Observatory Dr.,
2118 Meat Science & Animal Biologics Discovery Building
Madison, WI 53706
Vanessa A. Leone, Ph.D. is currently an Assistant Professor of Animal Biologics and Metabolism. She obtained a B.S. in Animal Sciences in 2003 and completed her Ph.D. in Animal Sciences and Nutrition at UW-Madison under the direction of the late Mark E. Cook. Her work largely focused on examining the effects of maternal dietary supplements, specifically conjugated linoleic acid, on avian embryogenesis in laying hens. As a postdoctoral fellow and Instructor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, Leone shifted the focus of her work to examine how the trillions of microbes residing in the intestine impact complex metabolic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Leone joined the UW Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences in 2020, bringing a wide breadth of knowledge geared towards studying host-microbe interactions using preclinical models, including germ-free mouse technology. She currently holds a National Institutes of Health Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award, focusing on determining the mechanism of how diet-induced gut microbes shape and maintain host circadian clock function in the context of gut mucosal health with a specific emphasis on antimicrobial peptides. The overall goals of Leone’s research are to identify novel microbiome-derived strategies that can be used to improve the metabolic health of humans and companion animals as well as promote agricultural animal immune, health, and growth/production outcomes.
As a new member of the Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery Program, Leone is working with academic and industry partners to identify value-added molecules or materials derived from animal co-products, including microbes & microbially-derived metabolites, that can be used both in biomedical and animal agriculture to improve health and wellness. She has extensive experience teaching and mentoring at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral levels and is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in the fields of Animal & Dairy Sciences.
- Gut microbes mediate the synergistic effects of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat in driving fibrosing MASH
- Gut microbes, diet, and genetics as drivers of metabolic liver disease: a narrative review outlining implications for precision medicine
- Time of sample collection is critical for the replicability of microbiome analyses
- Gut microbes and the liver circadian clock partition glucose and lipid metabolism
- Peptide YY: A Paneth cell antimicrobial peptide that maintains <em>Candida</em> gut commensalism
- Phenylpropionic acid produced by gut microbiota alleviates acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity
- HMGB1 acts as an agent of host defense at the gut mucosal barrier
- Imbalanced gut microbiota predicts and drives the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in a fast-food diet mouse model
- Gut microbiota modulates bleomycin-induced acute lung injury response in mice
- Timed high-fat diet feeding restores small bowel circadian rhythms
Animal & Dairy Sciences Faculty and Staff Professional Development Committee
Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences (IGPNS) Justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (J.E.D.I.) committee
Journal of Lipid Research Young Investigator Award – 2017. The gut microbiome, bile acids, and regulatory networks in health and disease: Emerging therapeutic approaches. Kern Lipid Conference. August 7 – 9, Vail, Colorado.
NIDDK Young Investigator Travel Grant – 2014. Host-Microbiota Interactions: How host physiology and disease pathophysiology are affected by the gut microbiota. September 9 – 10, Bethesda, Maryland.
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America Keystone Symposia Scholarship – 2014. Understanding Chemical Biotransformations in the Human Microbiome, April 1 – April 6, Big Sky, Montana.
Poultry Science Association Certificate of Excellence – Student Research Paper. 2006. Maternal dietary conjugated linoleic acid has no adverse effects on progeny development. Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting.