Research, EV Platforms & Translation
Measure-Map-Manipulate extracellular vesicle programs for clinically actionable neurodegeneration biomarkers.
Research Vision
I study neurodegeneration as a systems-level signaling failure and develop extracellular vesicle assays that convert biology into clinically useful blood-based readouts.
My independent program follows a Measure-Map-Manipulate framework: isolate CNS cell-type-enriched EV fractions with rigorous QC, map coherent and decoherent molecular programs with interpretable models, then test mechanism with controlled perturbation platforms. A key translational barrier is the crowded street problem: preserving CNS signal specificity after entry into bulk plasma.
EV Biomarkers in MS & Neuroinflammatory Disease
In Yale Neurology, I lead work on glial-enriched EV fractions as a minimally invasive window into CNS biology. From sub-mL blood input, we isolate enriched EV populations and profile RNA and protein cargo with multi-level quality control.
Integrated with EDSS trajectories, PET imaging, and longitudinal clinical data, our models aim to stratify progression risk, quantify response to intervention, and generalize to ALS, long COVID, and related neuroinflammatory conditions.
Current support includes the Robert E. Leet and Clara Guthrie Patterson Mentored Research Award (PI, $200,000) and the Colton Center for Autoimmunity Award (co-PI, $200,000).
Copyright © Jonathan Weerakkody
Patented EV Platforms & Intellectual Property
My translational pipeline is anchored by two complementary EV technologies:
Photocleavable nanoprobe EV isolation platform - I am co-inventor of a photosensitive lipid nanoprobe system for rapid, size-selective, high-purity EV enrichment from complex biofluids. This platform is protected by U.S. Provisional 63/556,168 and PCT/US2025/16830.
GLAST+ EV RNA progression signature - In collaboration with Dr. David Pitt, I co-developed a patent-pending astrocyte-enriched EV signature for predicting multiple sclerosis progression through Yale Ventures. This program forms core IP behind East Rock Diagnostics.
Engineering & Biosensing Foundation
My technical foundation was built across CEA Grenoble and Yale through platform engineering for nanoscale sensing, single-vesicle measurement, and quantitative assay design.
This includes optoelectronic nose development, plasma-membrane-on-a-chip systems, and high-throughput secretory assays. The same engineering rigor now drives EV assay robustness, calibration, and translational reproducibility.
Copyright © Jonathan Weerakkody
Data Science, AI & EV Analytics
I build interpretable pipelines for high-dimensional EV data, including feature selection, program-level scoring, and multi-omic integration across miRNA, mRNA, protein, imaging, and clinical trajectories.
The objective is not only prediction, but mechanistic clarity: models that map back to cell states, pathways, and testable biology.
Ventures & Community
East Rock Diagnostics translates EV progression signatures into clinically actionable assays. In parallel, I built EVd3x.com, a platform for reproducible EV hypothesis generation across tissues, cell types, and molecular programs.
Together, these efforts support a future independent lab focused on robust biomarker science, mechanism-guided intervention, and deployable precision neurology tools.
