PhD Daniil Kachkin
Researcher
Room 115
14195 Berlin
Dr. Daniil Kachkin is a postdoctoral researcher at the laboratory of Human Biology, Freie Universität Berlin. His research focuses on the mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and brain organoids.
Daniil holds a Ph.D. in Biology from Saint Petersburg State University, where he studied amyloidogenic proteins and their interactions utilizing various cellular models. His research has contributed to understanding protein misfolding and its impact on cellular function and genome stability.
Projects
Evolutionary Aspects of Neurodegeneration
While aging is a universal biological process, the development of dementia and progressive neurodegeneration appears to be uniquely human. Non-human primates (NHPs) - our closest living evolutionary relatives - frequently accumulate extracellular amyloid-beta plaques as they age. However, unlike in humans, these protein aggregates in NHPs rarely lead to widespread tau propagation, synaptic loss, or cortical atrophy. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying this human-specific susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease and other cerebral amyloid disorders, we use 3D brain organoids derived from human and primate iPSCs. By comparing molecular and transcriptomic data from brain organoids across different species, we are revealing how evolutionary differences in disease mechanisms contribute to human neurodegeneration. Understanding why non-human primates are less prone to neurodegeneration associated with amyloid formation could be the key to uncovering the mechanisms that drove human brain development and neurodegeneration.
List of publications:
- Daniil Kachkin, Andrew A. Zelinsky, Nina V. Romanova, Konstantin Y. Kulichikhin, Pavel A. Zykin, Julia I. Khorolskaya, Zachery J. Deckner, Andrey V. Kajava, Aleksandr A. Rubel and Yury O. Chernoff (2025).
Prion-like Properties of Short Isoforms of Human Chromatin Modifier PHC3. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. DOI: 10.3390/ijms26041512 - Daniel V. Kachkin, Veronika V. Lashkul, Natalia A. Gorsheneva, Sergey A. Fedotov, Maria S. Rubel, Yury O. Chernoff and Aleksandr A. Rubel (2024).
The Aβ42 Peptide and IAPP Physically Interact in a Yeast-Based Assay. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814122 - Julia I. Khorolskaya, Daria A. Perepletchikova, Kirill E. Zhurenkov, Daniel V. Kachkin, Aleksandr A. Rubel, Miralda I. Blinova, Natalia A. Mikhailova (2023).
Corneal Reconstruction with EGFP-Labelled Limbal Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a Rabbit Model of Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065431 - Daniel Kachkin, Kirill Volkov, Julia Sopova, Alexander Bobylev, Sergei Fedotov, Serei Inge-Vechtomov, Oxana Galzitskaya, Yury Chernoff, Aleksandr Rubel, and Anna Aksenova (2022).
Human RAD51 protein forms amyloid-like aggregates in vitro. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911657 - Anastasiia A. Elistratova, Ilya S. Kritchenkov, Alexey A. Lezov, Alexander S. Gubarev, Anastasia I. Solomatina, Daniel V. Kachkin, Nadezhda A. Shcherbina, Yu-Chan Liao, Yi-Chun Liu, Ya-Yun Yang, Nikolai V. Tsvetkov, Pavel S. Chelushkin, Pi-Tai Chou, Sergey P. Tunik (2022).
Lifetime Oxygen Sensors Based on Block Copolymer Micelles and Non-Covalent Human Serum Albumin Adducts Bearing Phosphorescent Near-Infrared Iridium(III) Complex. European Polymer Journal. DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2021.110761 - Ilya Kritchenkov, Anastasia I. Solomatina, Daria O. Kozina, Vitaly V. Porsev, Victor V. Sokolov, Marina V. Shirmanova, Maria M. Lukina, Anastasia D. Komarova, Vladislav I. Shcheslavskiy, Tatiana N. Belyaeva, Ilia K. Litvinov, Anna V. Salova, Elena S. Kornilova, Daniel V. Kachkin, Sergey P. Tunik (2021).
Biocompatible Ir(III) Complexes as Oxygen Sensors for Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging. Molecules. DOI: 10.3390/molecules26102898 - Julia I. Khorolskaya, Daria A. Perepletchikova, Daniel V. Kachkin, Kirill E. Zhurenkov, Elga I. Alexander-Sinkler, Julia S. Ivanova, Natalia A. Mikhailova and Miralda I. Blinova (2021).
Derivation and Characterization of EGFP-Labeled Rabbit Limbal Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Their Potential for Research in Regenerative Ophthalmology. Biomedicines. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9091134 - Daniel V. Kachkin, Julia I. Khorolskaya, Julia S. Ivanova and Aleksandr A. Rubel (2020).
An Efficient Method for Isolation of Plasmid DNA for Transfection of Mammalian Cell Cultures. Methods and Protocols. DOI: 10.3390/mps3040069 - Julia V. Sopova, Elena I. Koshel, Tatiana A. Belashova, Sergey P. Zadorsky, Alexandra V. Sergeeva, Vera A. Siniukova, Alexandr A. Shenfeld, Maria E. Velizhanina, Kirill V. Volkov, Anton A. Nizhnikov, Daniel V. Kachkin, Elena R. Gaginskaya and Alexey P. Galkin (2019).
RNA-binding protein FXR1 is presented in rat brain in amyloid form. Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55528-6 - Elizaveta M. Gerasimova, Sergey A. Fedotov, Daniel V. Kachkin, Elena S. Vashukova, Andrey S. Glotov, Yury O. Chernoff and Aleksandr A. Rubel (2019).
Protein Misfolding during Pregnancy: New Approaches to Preeclampsia Diagnostics. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. DOI: 10.3390/ijms20246183