Contact Information
2255 Beckman Institute, MC-251
405 N. Mathews Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
Biography
Professor Romanova received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Belarusian State University (Minsk, Belarus) and her PhD in Chemistry from University of Illinois (with Jonathan Sweedler, 2005). She then joined a newly established, NIDA funded, Neuroproteomics & Neurometabolomics Center on Cell-Cell Signaling to lead the development and validation of customized cutting-edge technological solutions for investigation of neurochemical changes in the brain resulted from drug abuse and addiction. Currently, Professor Romanova continues supporting expanded national and international neuroscience communities of the Center by coordinating and overseeing multidisciplinary, collaborative user projects on intricacies of intercellular communication. She joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry at UIUC as Research Assistant Professor in January 2019.
Research Description
Overall direction of research is bioanalytical chemistry with emphasis on microanalysis, mass spectrometry and liquid separation techniques for measurement and characterization of biomolecules and/or drugs in nervous and neuroendocrine systems. Specific approaches include but not limited to high throughput peptidomics, direct single cell and tissue chemical profiling by mass spectrometry, differential quantitative assessment of neurochemical changes under pathophysiological conditions or environmental challenges, and mass spectrometry imaging, all with the use of relevant bioinformatics tools. The overarching goal of research is to gain insights into molecular basis of complex physiological responses in various animal models that play critical roles in fundamental or translational research and, respectively, in advancement of human health.
Additional Campus Affiliations
Research Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Highlighted Publications
Romanova, E. V., Rubakhin, S. S., Ossyra, J. R., Zombeck, J. A., Nosek, M. R., Sweedler, J. V., & Rhodes, J. S. (2015). Differential peptidomics assessment of strain and age differences in mice in response to acute cocaine administration. Journal of Neurochemistry, 135(5), 1038-1048. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.13265
Romanova, E. V., & Sweedler, J. V. (2015). Peptidomics for the discovery and characterization of neuropeptides and hormones. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 36(9), 579-586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tips.2015.05.009
Romanova, E. V., Aerts, J. T., Croushore, C. A., & Sweedler, J. V. (2014). Small-Volume Analysis of Cell-Cell Signaling Molecules in the Brain. Neuropsychopharmacology, 39(1), 50-64. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2013.145
Romanova, E. V., Dowd, S. E., & Sweedler, J. V. (2013). Quantitation of endogenous peptides using mass spectrometry based methods. Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, 17(5), 801-808. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2013.05.030
Rubakhin, S. S., Romanova, E. V., Nemes, P., & Sweedler, J. V. (2011). Profiling metabolites and peptides in single cells. Nature Methods, 8(4), S20-S29. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.1549
Collins, J. J., Hou, X., Romanova, E. V., Lambrus, B. G., Miller, C. M., Saberi, A., Sweedler, J. V., & Newmark, P. A. (2010). Genome-wide analyses reveal a role for peptide hormones in planarian germline development. PLoS biology, 8(10), Article e1000509. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000509
Romanova, E. V., Rubakhin, S., & Sweedler, J. V. (2008). One-step sampling, extraction, and storage protocol for peptidomics using dihydroxybenzoic acid. Analytical Chemistry, 80(9), 3379-3386. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac7026047
Recent Publications
Bell, S. E., Xie, Y. R., Maciejewski, M. F., Rubakhin, S. S., Romanova, E. V., Bell, A. M., & Sweedler, J. V. (2025). Single-Cell Peptide Profiling to Distinguish Stickleback Ecotypes with Divergent Breeding Behavior. Journal of Proteome Research, 24(4), 1596-1605. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00832
Okyem, S., Mast, D. H., Romanova, E. V., Rubakhin, S. S., & Sweedler, J. V. (2025). Isoaspartate-containing galanin in rat hypothalamus. Communications Chemistry, 8(1), Article 72. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01475-5
Castro, D. C., Chan-Andersen, P., Romanova, E. V., & Sweedler, J. V. (2024). Probe-based mass spectrometry approaches for single-cell and single-organelle measurements. Mass Spectrometry Reviews, 43(4), 888-912. https://doi.org/10.1002/mas.21841
Mao, R. T., Guo, S. Q., Zhang, G., Li, Y. D., Xu, J. P., Wang, H. Y., Fu, P., Liu, C. P., Wu, S. Q., Chen, P., Mei, Y. S., Jin, Q. C., Liu, C. Y., Zhang, Y. C. F., Ding, X. Y., Liu, W. J., Romanova, E. V., Zhou, H. B., Cropper, E. C., ... Jing, J. (2024). Two C-terminal isoforms of Aplysia tachykinin–related peptide receptors exhibit phosphorylation-dependent and phosphorylation-independent desensitization mechanisms. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 300(8), Article 107556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107556
Hellinger, R., Sigurdsson, A., Wu, W., Romanova, E. V., Li, L., Sweedler, J. V., Süssmuth, R. D., & Gruber, C. W. (2023). Peptidomics. Nature Reviews Methods Primers, 3(1), Article 25. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-023-00205-2