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Dr. Mohey Eldin El Shikh

Senior Lecturer
Queen Mary University of London
2nd Floor - John Vane Science Centre - Charterhouse Square
 

Brief Biography:


Mohey El Shikh obtained his MD from the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University (Egypt) in 1994. He completed his clinical training in Cairo University Hospitals followed by a residency in orthopedics before joining the Regional Center for Mycology and Biotechnology, Al Azhar University, Cairo (Egypt) in 1997. Under mentoring of Professors M.M Sherif, A.A. Razak, M. Nasser, and G. Bachmann, he obtained his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology in 2003 through a joint supervision program of Al Azhar University, Cairo (Egypt) and Vienna University, Vienna (Austria). His studies focused on analyzing the effect of a selected group of fungal metabolites on lymphocyte membrane lipids and the impact of different genetic backgrounds on the chemotactic response of lymphocytes to various fungal metabolites.

Early in 2005, Dr El Shikh joined the laboratory of Professor John Tew in the School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (USA) where he closely worked with Professor Andras Szakal and studied the immuno-regulatory functions of follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) and germinal center (GC) reactions. In his studies, Dr El Shikh reported the first immuno-stimulatory role of the otherwise inhibitory FcgammaRIIB in FDC activation (El Shikh et al. Eur.J.Immunol. 2006), identified TLR-2, -3, & -4 on FDCs and described the NFkappaB-mediated activation of FDCs via TLR-4 (El Shikh et al. J.Immunol. 2007), discovered the ability of collagen to induce FDC dendritic regeneration and reticular network formation (El Shikh et al. Cell Tissue Res. 2007), and the role of immune complex-bearing FDCs in delivering a late antigenic signal and IL-6 that promote class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM) (Wu et al. J.Immunol. 2008, Int.Immun. 2009). Joining the research team of the Clinical Research Center for Periodontal Disease at the School of Dentistry Virginia Commonwealth University directed by Professor Harvey Schenkein, Dr El Shikh studied the role of anti-phosphorylcholine-opsonized LDL in promoting rapid production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by dendritic cells and NK Cells. He also investigated the role of anti-cardiolipin-opsonized antigens, including LDL, in dendritic cell and macrophage activation and their role in chronic arterial inflammation and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (Kikuchi et al. J Periodont Res. 2010). In collaboration with Professor Daniel Conrad, he studied the role of ADAM10 in B cell development, CD23 expression, and IgE regulation (Gibb et al. J Exp.Med. 2010).

Together with Dr John Tew and the research team of VaxDesign Corporation in Orlando, Florida (USA), Dr El Shikh shared in four inventions patented in the United States Patent & Trademark Office, the European Patent Office and the World Intellectual Property Organization. These inventions described the application of in vitro germinal centers incorporated into 3D engineered tissue constructs in analyzing the human immune responses to vaccines, allergens, and immunogens. In addition, they described the use of FDCs and FDC-like cells in generating T cell-independent responses to T cell-dependent antigens, targeting the rapid induction of protective immunity in people with congenital or acquired T cell insufficiencies. These inventions have been licensed for further development and commercialization.

In 2010 Dr El Shikh was recruited to William Harvey Research Institute where he carries out his research activities in the Centre for Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology directed by Professor Costantino Pitzalis at the Charterhouse Campus, John Vane Science Centre.

 

Academic positions:


1- Senior Lecturer

Centre for Experimental Medicine & Rheumatology,

William Harvey Research Institute May 2010 onward

Centre for Experimental Medicine & Rheumatology

William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine, Charterhouse Sq, London EC1M 6BQ.

2- Research Associate in Microbiology and Immunology

School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA. 01/2005-05/2010

3- Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

The Regional Center for Mycology and Biotechnology, Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. 08/2009-05/2010

4- Lecturer of Microbiology and Immunology

The Regional Center for Mycology and Biotechnology, Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. 08/2003-01/2005

5- Research Scholar in Microbiology and Immunology

Faculty of life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. 10/2001-08/2002

 

Research interests:


Mohey Eldin El Shikh M.D, Ph.D
Senior Lecturer in Experimental Medicine & Rheumatology
Centre for Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology

Contact Details:
m.elshikh@qmul.ac.uk
Mohey El Shikh obtained his MD from the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University (Egypt) in 1994. He completed his clinical training in Cairo University Hospitals followed by a residency in orthopedics before joining the Regional Center for Mycology and Biotechnology, Al Azhar University, Cairo (Egypt) in 1997. Under mentoring of Professors M.M Sherif, A.A. Razak, M. Nasser, and G. Bachmann, he obtained his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology in 2003 through a joint supervision program of Al Azhar University, Cairo (Egypt) and Vienna University, Vienna (Austria). His studies focused on analyzing the effect of a selected group of fungal metabolites on lymphocyte membrane lipids and the impact of different genetic backgrounds on the chemotactic response of lymphocytes to various fungal metabolites.

Early in 2005, Dr El Shikh joined the laboratory of Professor John Tew in the School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (USA) where he closely worked with Professor Andras Szakal and studied the immuno-regulatory functions of follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) and germinal center (GC) reactions. In his studies, Dr El Shikh reported the first immuno-stimulatory role of the otherwise inhibitory FcgammaRIIB in FDC activation (El Shikh et al. Eur.J.Immunol. 2006), identified TLR-2, -3, & -4 on FDCs and described the NFkappaB-mediated activation of FDCs via TLR-4 (El Shikh et al. J.Immunol. 2007), discovered the ability of collagen to induce FDC dendritic regeneration and reticular network formation (El Shikh et al. Cell Tissue Res. 2007), and the role of immune complex-bearing FDCs in delivering a late antigenic signal and IL-6 that promote class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM) (Wu et al. J.Immunol. 2008, Int.Immun. 2009). Joining the research team of the Clinical Research Center for Periodontal Disease at the School of Dentistry Virginia Commonwealth University directed by Professor Harvey Schenkein, Dr El Shikh studied the role of anti-phosphorylcholine-opsonized LDL in promoting rapid production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by dendritic cells and NK Cells. He also investigated the role of anti-cardiolipin-opsonized antigens, including LDL, in dendritic cell and macrophage activation and their role in chronic arterial inflammation and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (Kikuchi et al. J Periodont Res. 2010). In collaboration with Professor Daniel Conrad, he studied the role of ADAM10 in B cell development, CD23 expression, and IgE regulation (Gibb et al. J Exp.Med. 2010).

Together with Dr John Tew and the research team of VaxDesign Corporation in Orlando, Florida (USA), Dr El Shikh shared in four inventions patented in the United States Patent & Trademark Office, the European Patent Office and the World Intellectual Property Organization. These inventions described the application of in vitro germinal centers incorporated into 3D engineered tissue constructs in analyzing the human immune responses to vaccines, allergens, and immunogens. In addition, they described the use of FDCs and FDC-like cells in generating T cell-independent responses to T cell-dependent antigens, targeting the rapid induction of protective immunity in people with congenital or acquired T cell insufficiencies. These inventions have been licensed for further development and commercialization.

In 2010 Dr El Shikh was recruited to William Harvey Research Institute where he carries out his research activities in the Centre for Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology directed by Professor Costantino Pitzalis at the Charterhouse Campus, John Vane Science Centre.

 
Current research interests
In 2009 Dr El Shikh discovered the ability of immune-complex-loaded FDCs to induce T cell-independent immunity to T cell-dependent antigens in responses co-stimulated with FDC-derived BAFF and C4bBP (El Shikh et al. J.Immunol. 2009). He has recently described a novel pathway of antigen processing and presentation by FDCs to B cells in germinal centers (El Shikh et al. Trends Immunol. 2010) that is potentially involved in autoreactive B cell activation, breakage of B cell tolerance, and perpetuation of autoimmunity. His recent findings that B cell tolerance to self-TNF-alpha, -IgE, and HEL in sHEL-Tg mice [C57BL/6-sHEL-Tg (ML5)] can be broken by presenting these self-antigens as immune complexes to B cells by FDCs support the hypothesis that presentation of self/neo-antigens to B cells by activated FDCs, that express B cell co-stimulatory signals, induces autoreactive GC formation, auto-Ab secretion, and perpetuation of B cell autoimmunity. He is currently dissecting the molecular mechanisms underpinning this hypothesis which will not only advance our understanding of the mechanisms involved in autoreactive B cell activation and breakage of tolerance but also potentially open up a novel therapeutic avenue by inducing high affinity self-regulated auto-Abs to target endogenous mediators of chronic autoimmune and hypersensitivity diseases like TNF-alpha and IgE. It may also pave the way to an innovative therapeutic approach targeting tumor antigens in certain mAb-responsive cancers, a dimension that is currently explored in collaboration with Massey Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University.

 

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Home Page:


http://www.whri.qmul.ac.uk/staff/EL%20shikh.html