Research areas
Juan studied physics in Uruguay and did his PhD in Ireland at the Centre for Bio-Nano Interactions, University College Dublin. He subsequently did a postdoc at the Interdisciplinary Institute for Neurosciences in Bordeaux (France), and a second postdoc in neurodegeneration at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge (UK). Juan established his research group at the University of St Andrews funded by a European Research Council Starting Grant. His main research interests are the use of nanotechnology and single-molecule imaging to understand and cure neurodegenerative diseases. Visit our lab website for research updates and opportunities: https://neurophotonics.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/
PhD supervision
- Sybille Marchese
- Anna-Lena Zepernick
- Julian Butscher
- Pietro Esposito
- Chloe O'Rourke
- Berta Fatas
Selected publications
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Open access
Structure-specific amyloid precipitation in biofluids
Rodrigues, M., Bhattacharjee, P., Brinkmalm, A., Do, D. T., Pearson, C. M., De, S., Ponjavic, A., Varela, J. A., Kulenkampff, K., Baudrexel, I., Emin, D., Ruggeri, F. S., Lee, J. E., Carr, A. R., Knowles, T. P. J., Zetterberg, H., Snaddon, T. N., Gandhi, S., Lee, S. F. & Klenerman, D., Sept 2022, In: Nature Chemistry. 14, 9, p. 1045-1056 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
ThX-a next-generation probe for the early detection of amyloid aggregates
Needham, L. M., Weber, J., Varela, J. A., Fyfe, J. W. B., Do, D. T., Xu, C. K., Tutton, L., Cliffe, R., Keenlyside, B., Klenerman, D., Dobson, C. M., Hunter, C. A., Müller, K. H., O'Holleran, K., Bohndiek, S. E., Snaddon, T. N. & Lee, S. F., 14 May 2020, In: Chemical Science. 11, 18, p. 4578-4583 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Different soluble aggregates of Aβ42 can give rise to cellular toxicity through different mechanisms
De, S., Wirthensohn, D. C., Flagmeier, P., Hughes, C., Aprile, F. A., Ruggeri, F. S., Whiten, D. R., Emin, D., Xia, Z., Varela, J. A., Sormanni, P., Kundel, F., Knowles, T. P. J., Dobson, C. M., Bryant, C., Vendruscolo, M. & Klenerman, D., 4 Apr 2019, In: Nature Communications. 10, 11 p., 1541.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Comparative Analysis of Photoluminescence and Upconversion Emission from Individual Carbon Nanotubes for Bioimaging Applications
Danne, N., Godin, A. G., Gao, Z., Varela, J. A., Groc, L., Lounis, B. & Cognet, L., 21 Feb 2018, In: ACS Photonics. 5, 2, p. 359-364 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
FUS phase separation is modulated by a molecular chaperone and methylation of arginine cation-π interactions
Qamar, S., Wang, G., Randle, S. J., Ruggeri, F. S., Varela, J. A., Lin, J. Q., Phillips, E. C., Miyashita, A., Williams, D., Ströhl, F., Meadows, W., Ferry, R., Dardov, V. J., Tartaglia, G. G., Farrer, L. A., Kaminski Schierle, G. S., Kaminski, C. F., Holt, C. E., Fraser, P. E., Schmitt-Ulms, G., & 4 others , 19 Apr 2018, In: Cell. 173, 3, p. 720-734 e15.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Optical structural analysis of individual α-synuclein oligomers
Varela, J. A., Rodrigues, M., De, S., Flagmeier, P., Gandhi, S., Dobson, C. M., Klenerman, D. & Lee, S. F., 23 Apr 2018, In: Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 57, 18, p. 4886-4890 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Single-nanotube tracking reveals the nanoscale organization of the extracellular space in the live brain
Godin, A. G., Varela, J. A., Gao, Z., Danné, N., Dupuis, J. P., Lounis, B., Groc, L. & Cognet, L., Mar 2017, In: Nature Nanotechnology. 12, 3, p. 238-243 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Single nanoparticle tracking of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors in cultured and intact brain tissue
Varela, J. A., Ferreira, J. S., Dupuis, J. P., Durand, P., Bouchet, D. & Groc, L., Oct 2016, In: Neurophotonics. 3, 4, 9 p., 041808.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Spatial and structural metrics for living cells inspired by statistical mechanics
Åberg, C., Varela, J. A., Fitzpatrick, L. W. & Dawson, K. A., 6 Oct 2016, In: Scientific Reports. 6, 8 p., 34457.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Targeting neurotransmitter receptors with nanoparticles in vivo allows single-molecule tracking in acute brain slices
Varela, J. A., Dupuis, J. P., Etchepare, L., Espana, A., Cognet, L. & Groc, L., 14 Mar 2016, In: Nature Communications. 7, 10 p., 10947.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review