Professor Lilach Sheiner
- Professor (Parasitology)
telephone:
+44 (0) 141 330 4797
email:
Lilach.Sheiner@glasgow.ac.uk
Ri Iii, 120 University Place, Glasgow, G12 8ta
Biography
Research interests
Professor Lilach Sheiner is an expert in eukaryotic parasite cell biology and have been researching apicomplexan parasites (causing e.g. Toxoplasmosis and malaria) since 2005.
Professor Sheiner's research team aims to understand fundamental mechanisms that underpin parasite survival and virulence and that are divergent from any parallel processes in human and animal. The team’s research is mainly focus on the biology, function and biogenesis of the organelles of endosymbiotic origin - the highly divergent parasite mitochondrion, and the unique parasite plastid (apicoplast). The team is mainly using T. gondii (the causative agent of toxoplasmosis) as a model organism, and recently commenced work with the malaria parasites, Plasmodium spp.
Lilach and her team developed some of the most widely used tools for Toxoplasma cell biology research1,2 and made substantial contribution to the understanding of the apicoplast (read more). The team is one of the pioneers of Toxoplasma mitochondrial research, who developed critical tools for these studies3,4 and who is making exciting discoveries about parasite mitochondrial biology (read more).
Selected publications
- Lilach Sheiner, Jessica L. Demerly, Nicole Poulsen, Wandy L. Beatty, Olivier Lucas, Michael S. Behnke, Michael W. White, Boris Striepen. Published: December 1, 2011 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1002392
- Damien Jacot, Sebastian Lourido, Markus Meissner, Lilach Sheiner, Dominique Soldati-Favre, Boris Striepen. Available online 13 March 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815041-2.00020-7
- Identification of the Toxoplasma gondii mitochondrial ribosome and characterisation of a protein essential for mitochondrial translation. Lacombe A., Maclean AE., Ovciarikova J., Tottey J., Mühleip A., Fernandes P., Sheiner L. Mol Microbiol. 2019 Oct112(4):1235-1252. doi: 10.1111/mmi.14357.
- Complexome profile of Toxoplasma gondii mitochondria identifies divergent subunits of respiratory chain complexes including new subunits of cytochrome bc1 complex.Maclean AE., Bridges HR., Silva MF., Ding S., Ovciarikova J., Hirst J., Sheiner L. PLoS Pathog. 2021 Mar 217(3):e1009301. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009301
Grants
Grants and Awards listed are those received whilst working with the University of Glasgow.
- Structure-function studies of the malaria drug target, mitochondrial respiratory complex III
Medical Research Council
2024 - 2027
- Characterization of critical differences between human and parasite respiratory complex II
Medical Research Council
2022 - 2025
- Lost in translation. A study of the divergent mitochondrial translation pathway of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii
Wellcome Trust
2020 - 2024
- How do REDox regulators control Apicoplast functions in the parasites causing TOxoplasmosis and Malaria
Medical Research Council
2019 - 2022
- Transgenic T. gondii as a platform for MeCP2 protein delivery to the CNS
International Rett Syndrome Foundation
2018 - 2020
- P2D award
Medical Research Council
2018 - 2018
- Dissection of the unusual mitochondrial tRNA import translocon of Toxoplasma gondii
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
2016 - 2018
- Dance with me? Mechanisms controlling mitochondrion - cell-cycle synchrony in Toxoplasma gondii
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
2015 - 2020
- Identification and analysis of essential proteins involved in Toxoplasma gondii mitochondrial tRNA import (ISSF Fellowship)
Wellcome Trust
2015 - 2015
- Identification and analysis of essential proteins involved in Toxoplasma gondii mitochondrial biogenesis (ISSF Catalyst)
Wellcome Trust
2014 - 2014
Professional activities & recognition
Prizes, awards & distinctions
- 2021: member (Young Academy of Scotland)
- 2015: Personal Research Fellowship (Royal Society of Edinburgh)
- 2013: Lord Kelvin Adam Smith Leadership Fellowship (University of Glasgow)
- 2013: K99, pathways to independence (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA)
Grant committees & research advisory boards
- 2019: Wellcome Trust, Expert Review Group 5
- 2020: Academy of Finland, Life12_20 (Cell 1) panel
Professional & learned societies
- member, Microbiology Society
Selected international presentations
- 2021: EMBO/FEBS Advanced Course on “Mitochondria in life death and disease” (Budva Montenegro)
- 2019: EMBO conference: ‘Protein translocation across membranes’ (Costa Brava, Spain)
- 2019: OrbiMed - Presentation for discussion of plan for commercialization (Herzliya, Israel)
- 2018: Weizmann Institute of Science. Frontiers in Parasitology (Rehovot, Israel)
- 2017: Brazilian Protozoology Society Annual meeting. Invited Speaker and Panel Member for Round Table about Genome Editing in Parasitic Protozoa. (Caxambu, Brazil)
- 2017: University of Strathclyde. Invited seminar speaker. (Glasgow, Scotland)
- 2017: Ben Gurion University. Invited seminar speaker. (Beer-Sheva, Israel)
- 2016: University of Kent, School of Biosciences seminar series. Invited seminar speaker. (Canterbury, UK)
- 2016: Université de Montpellier. Invited international speaker (Montpellier, France)
- 2016: Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology and Friedrich Miescher Laboratory International PhD Program annual retreat. Invited Keynote speaker. (Tuebingen, Germany)
- 2016: Cambridge Parasitology Club seminar series. Invited seminar speaker. (Cambridge, UK)
- 2015: The University of Edinburgh, Institute of Immunology and Infection Seminar series. Invited seminar speaker. (Edinburgh,UK)
- 2015: The Francis Crick Institute (NIMR). Invited seminar speaker. (London, UK)
- 2015: Fiocruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruiz. Invited seminar speaker. (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- 2015: Fiocruz Institututo Carlos Chagas. Invited seminar. (Curitiba, Brazil.)
- 2015: SGM Annual Conference 2015, “Mitochondria and related organelles in microbial eukaryotes” session. Invited speaker. (Birmingham, UK)
- 2015: University of South Bohemia, Institute of parasitology. Invited seminar speaker. (Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.)
Related Links
Sheiner Lab website: https://lilachsheiner.wixsite.com/sheinerlab-wtcmp
YAS (Young Academy of Scotland): https://www.youngacademyofscotland.org.uk/members/lilach-sheiner/
meBOP (middle east Biology of Parasitism): https://www.mebop.org/
NERD (Network for Early career Researchers Development): https://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/mvls/nerd/