Chief Scientist

Research activity and main achievements

Dr. Lednev’s is a leader in the field of advanced laser spectroscopy. He is one of the top Raman spectroscopists in the US and in the world. He builds new instruments and develops novel methodologies for various applications in pioneering areas in chemistry, biology and biomedicine. Prior to coming to the US, Lednev worked in the areas of supramolecular photochemistry and ultrafast spectroscopy and made significant contributions to the fundamental understanding of molecular photophysics. To name a few, Lednev and coworkers unraveled the femtosecond isomerization mechanism of azobenzene, a protypical photochromic molecule. They describe in real (picosecond) time the photorelease of metal ions from cage compounds. For the first time, Lednev utilized a two-color diffuse reflectance flash photolysis for kinetic studies of surface photochemistry. Lednev built the first nanosecond time resolved temperature-jump apparatus with ultraviolet Raman spectroscopic probe for real-time protein folding kinetic studies. Several other laboratories around the world utilized this design to build similar instruments.

Lednev’s independent research career in the US began in 2002 when he joined the faculty of the University at Albany, of the State University of New York. He has since developed a world-recognized research program that develops and utilizes new laser spectroscopy for investigations in three major arears: forensic science, structure and dynamics of amyloid and biomedical diagnostics.

Dr. Lednev is arguably the top expert in the world in the field of forensic applications of vibrational spectroscopy for the analysis of biological stains and gunshot residues. He served as an advisory member on the White House Subcommittee for Forensic Sciences. Dr. Lednev is also one of the world leaders in the field of vibrational spectroscopy of proteins and protein aggregates.

Dr. Lednev pioneered the application of Raman microspectroscopy to the field of forensic analysis of biological stains about 10 years ago. He developed a new method for the identification of body fluid traces at crime scenes. Their 2009 article in Forensic Science International is one of the most downloaded and most cited article from this top journal in the field. This discovery has now been patented including one issued patent and two patents pending. His laboratory currently works on commercializing this novel methodology. Several other laboratories in the US and Europe have now moved into this new area of forensic science. This novel approach opened new exciting opportunities for characterizing biological stains discovered at the crime scene including the differentiation of animal and human origin, menstrual and peripheral blood (important for rape cases), estimating the time of crime by determining the time since deposition of bloodstains. Most recently, Lenev laboratory published a serious of articles demonstrating a proof-of-concept for determining phenotypic characteristics about the donor of biological stains including race and sex. All these new applications of vibrational spectroscopies were demonstrated for the first time by Lednev laboratory. Several other research groups have followed Lednev’s publications with further development of the demonstrated approach.

Lednev laboratory introduced a new concept for characterizing gunshot residue (GSR) for forensic purposes in 2012. They demonstrated that Raman and ATR FTIR spectroscopy allows for differentiating firearm-ammunition combinations based on individual GSR particles. Since then, seven articles were published, one patent was issued and one patent is pending for using vibrational spectroscopy for the detection and characterization of GSR for forensic purposes.

Lednev laboratory in collaboration with medical doctors developed a new minimally-invasive method for Alzheimer’s diseases diagnostics based Raman spectroscopic analysis of blood and advanced statistics. The method allows for differentiating Alzheimer’s patients from healthy controls and patients diagnosed with other dementia with over 95% confidence. Different stages of Alzheimer’s diseases progression can be also differentiated.

In the area of fundamental protein folding and aggregation studies, Dr. Lednev developed a new method based on ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy for characterizing the structure and dynamics of amyloid fibrils. These protein aggregates are associated with several neurodegenerative diseases. He also developed a new method based on polarized Raman spectroscopy, which allows for evaluating the current structural models of amyloid fibrils.

Lednev discovered a new protein folding-aggregation phenomenon that involves spontaneous refolding of amyloid fibrils from one polymorph to another. This discovery opens a potential opportunity for controlling the biological activity and associated toxicity of amyloid fibrils and, may enable developing new therapeutic approaches for treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Lednev’s laboratory, in collaboration with Volker Deckert laboratory (Jena, Germany), have utilized tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) to characterize the structure and composition of the surface of amyloid fibrils. This is the first direct approach that can be used to characterize the surface functionality of bionanomaterials.

Lednev’s laboratory, in collaboration with Dr. Rina Dukor and Prof. Larry Nafie (Biotools Inc., Florida, USA), have discovered an amazing supramolecular super-chirality in amyloid fibrils. This new phenomenon has attracted significant attention from the biophysical community including theoreticians as well as experimentalists.

Lednev work has attracted a significant attention of media. He was interviewed five times by local TV and radio (once) as expert in forensic science. In addition, Canada Discovery Channel – Daily Planet program made a piece on Raman Spectroscopic Analysis of Gunshot Residue in April 2012. Over 60 times, Lednev work was covered by newspapers and magazines including the Wall Street Journal (SUNY researchers develop crime scene tool, 2014), Chemical & Engineering News (2012, 2009), the Royal Society of Chemistry News (2013, 2010), Forensic Magazine (2014, 2010).

Analytical Chemistry journal released Audio/Podcast interview with Dr. Lednev (2015). 518 Life Magazine selected Dr. Lednev for special issue Great Minds: 10 brilliant people working and living in the Capital Region (2015).

Lednev gave over 100 invited lectures and seminars including

• Keynote lecture at the annual meeting Raman4Clinics (Raman for Clinics), Belgrade (Serbia), 6th – 7th July 2017.

• the Japan-Taiwan Medical Spectroscopy International Symposium. Awaji-Island, Japan, December 4-7, 2016.

• Keynote lecture at the Italian Meeting on Raman Spectroscopies and Non Linear Optical Effects (GISR2017), June 7-9, 2017, Trieste, Italy.

• Invited seminar at the National Research Institute of Police Science, Kashiwa City, Japan, December 14, 2016.

• Keynote lecture at the Japan-Taiwan Medical Spectroscopy International Symposium. Awaji-Island, Japan, December 4-7, 2016.

• Plenary lecture at 25th International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy (ICORS). August 14-19, 2016 in Fortaleza, Brazil.

• Keynote lecture at the 32nd International Symposium on Microscale Separations and Bioanalysis. April 3-7, 2016. Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, Canada.

• Talk at a Plenary Session at SciX Conference of the Federation of the Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopic Societies, Sept. 27 – Oct. 2, 2015, Providence, RI.

• Plenary Lecture at the Second Taiwan International Symposium on Raman Spectroscopy. Hualien, Taiwan. June 23-24, 2014.

• Grace Van DerVoort memorial lecture at the Sage College, Troy, NY. March 26, 2014.

• Invited seminar. Society of Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, PA. October 7, 2013.

• Guest speaker at PerkinElmer Inspiring Innovation Workshop. CNSE, Albany, May16, 2013.

• Lead lecture on Raman Spectroscopy for Forensic Applications. 23rd International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy (ICORS). August 12-17, 2012. Bangalore, India.

• Keynote lecture on Raman Spectroscopy for Forensic Applications at the Annual Conference of the Analytical Society of Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel, January 24-25, 2012.

• Invited seminar at the Spectroscopic Society of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. November 2010.

Lednev organized 2nd International Conference on Vibrational Optical Activity and Bio-Medical Applications of Raman Spectroscopy. August 5-7, 2010. Albany, NY (113 people from 12 countries) as a satellite meeting for ICORS 2010 in Boston, MA.

Lednev organized over 20 symposia at Pittcon and SciX.

Lednev coauthored total of 190 peer reviewed articles including 124 since he began his independent career at the University at Albany in 2002. 13 articles were highlighted on journal covers since 2009.

The majority of Lednev’s research articles are published in internationally leading, top journals in the field including Chem. Rev. (Impact Factor ~47, 2 papers), J. Am. Chem. Soc. (IF ~12, 14 papers), Analyt. Chem. (IF ~6, 11 papers), Chem. Comm. (IF ~7, 5 papers), etc. Dr. Lednev was elected a Fellow of Society for Applied Spectroscopy, he is on the Governing Board member of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, a member of the International Steering Committee of the International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy, and a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Raman spectroscopy (Wiley), Forensic Chemistry (Elsevier) and Biochimica et Biophysica Acta – Proteins and Proteomics (Elsevier).