My over-all research interests are to understand the neuron-glial interaction and pathways leading to progression of neuronal cell death in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Currently I am investigating the pathways mediated by Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs) in a-synucleinopathy, inclusion (Lewy) body formation, microglial activation (neuroinflammation), and progression of Parkinson’s disease
Since accumulation of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) in various parts of the body is one of the prominent features of aging. Therefore I am also investigating the mechanisms of AGE-mediated effects in chronic age related disease such as osteoarthritis. These projects will also shed light on mechanisms how age contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic age-onset diseases
Principal investigator:
- AGEs endocytosis by neurons: new insights into neurodegeneration
- Neuron-microglial interaction
- Microglial activation by AGEs
- Parkinson's disease progression
- AGEing and Osteoarthrits: a novel role for old players in disease progression
- AGEs receptors and Connexins: Potential targets to slow the progression of osteoarthritis (Co-PI)
Other projects:
- Connexins in neuronal differentiation (Louise Nicholson, Colin Green, Simon O'Carroll and Shamim Shaikh)
Students
- Amali Perera (BSC Honours)
- Talia Hamilton (Masters)
- Carthur Wan (PhD)
- Sarah Lochrie (Masters)
- Joanne Kim (BSc Honours)
Advisor / Consultant to
- PhD students (03)
- Royal Society of New Zealand's Teaching Research Fellow (01)
Research Staff
Mr Bennedict Uy (Research Technician)
Research Grants
- Arthritis NZ ($80,000, 2010-2011)
- Neurological Foundation of New Zealand ($95,714, 2010-2011)
- Maurice and Phyllis-Paykel Trust (14,500, 2010-2012 Grant-in-aid)
- Faculty's Research Development Fund ($122,505, 2008-2010)
- The Sunset Foundation ($149.518.00, 2007-2009)
- Auckland Medical Research Foundation ($114,583, 2005-2007)
- Medical School Foundation ($31,000, 2005-2006)
- Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust ($25,000, 2005-2006)
- University of Auckland Staff Research Fund, equipment grant ($12,000, 2005)
- University of Auckland Staff Research Fund, equipment grant ($11,000, 2004)
- Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust ($14,000, 2008-2010)
Research collaborator
Dr Susan McGlashan
Department of Anatomy with Radiology
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Distinctions/ Honours
- 2008 - Invited to submit the cover image for the prestigious journal "Journal of Neuroscience Research", Volume 86, issue 9 (July)
- 2007 - Overall winner of the 'Annual poster Competition' of the 'Auckland Neuroscience Network'
- 2007 - Best poster presentation award in the 'Research Fellow' category at the 'Annual Poster Competition' of the 'Auckland Neuroscience Network', held at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland in December
- 2004 - Awarded for the impressive presentation at "Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research" (Queenstown, New Zealand)
- 2001 - Fellowship from Sir Dorabji Tata Trust awarded for the outstanding abstract in the International Conference "First world congress on Fetal origins of adult disease" (Mumbai, February 2-4 2001)
- 1999 - First prize for the best oral presentation awarded at the 18th National Symposium of Reproductive Biology & Comparative Endocrinology (December 1999, Chennai, India)
- 1999 - Certificate of appreciation from Kalyan Medical Association, India 1994 - Award for scoring distinction in DMLT-Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technologies (Birla College, Bombay University, India)
Student's achievements
- 2006 - Talia Hamilton recieved 'Highly commended' award for her Summer project report.
- 2007 - Amali Perera recieved 'Best Poster' award at the 'Annual Poster Competition' of the 'Auckland Neuroscience Network', held at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland in December.
- 2008 - Talia Hamilton recieved 'Over-all Winner' award at the 'Annual Poster Competition' of the 'Auckland Neuroscience Network', held in the University of Auckland.
Important Publications
- Shaikh S, Nicholson LFB, Effects of chronic low dose rotenone on human microglial cells, Molecular Neurodegeneration, 2009, 4:55 (31 December 2009).
Shaikh S, Nicholson LFB., AGEs induce in vitro cross-linking of a -synuclein and accelerate the process of intracellular inclusion body formation. Journal of Neuroscience Research. 2008, 86 (9), 2071-2082.
Shaikh S, Nicholson LFB., Optimization of Tet-On system for inducible expression of RAGE. J Biomolecular Techniques., 2006, 17, 283-292
Shaikh S, Bloomfield FH, Oliver MH, Bauer MK, Gilmour RS, Harding J., Amniotic IGF-I supplementation of growth restricted fetal sheep alters IGF-I and IGF-I receptor type I mRNA and protein levels in Placental and fetal tissues. J Endocrinology, 2005, 186, 145-55
Dean J, Fraser M, Shelling AN, Bennet L, Shaikh S, Gunn AJ, Ontogeny of AMPA and NMDA receptor gene expression in the developing sheep white matter and cerebral cortex. Mol Brain Research. 2005 (June 15, Epub, ahead of print, PMID: 15963598)
Sheikh S, Satoskar P, Bhartiya D., Expression of Insulin like growth factor – I (IGF-I) and placental growth hormone (pGH) mRNA in placentas: A comparison between normal and IUGR pregnancies. Molecular Human Reproduction, 2001, 7 (3), 287-292.
Thesis – Doctoral
- Shaikh S. 'Factors influencing in-utero growth: with special reference to intrauterine growth restriction', 2002, University of Mumbai, India
|
