Mohammed Shaaban
Doctoral Student at the Francis Crick Institute and Imperial College London
Mohammed Shaaban
Mohammed Shaaban
About
Shaaban is a doctoral student at the Francis Crick Institute and Imperial College London studying the dynamics of complex protein machines at a structural level.
Current research
Shaaban uses a state-of-the-art, time-resolved cryogenic electron microscope (tr-EM) to image and understand dynamic cellular processes at a structural level. Understanding protein dynamics is essential for dissecting the large-scale conformational changes triggered by protein complexes over time. Shaaban is mainly focusing on understanding the dynamics of cullin–RING ligases, enzymes that label cellular proteins via attachment of ubiquitin molecule(s), for cellular trafficking or degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Ubiquitin signaling regulates almost all cellular processes in eukaryotes and, subsequently, is considered a major target for pharmaceutical efforts.
Future research vision
Shaaban’s research is at the intersection of structural biology, drug discovery, and AI-based protein prediction. An important aim of his research is to solve the structure of molecular machines as they move. DeepMind—a subsidiary of Google—recently developed an AI-based algorithm (named AlphaFold2) that “predicted” the structure of millions of proteins. However, the dynamics adopted by these machines are still puzzling researchers in both the AI-systems and biological research fields. Shaaban’s future research, combing time-resolved cryo-EM (tr-EM), AI-based protein prediction algorithms, and other recently developed approaches, aims to map the continuum of heterogeneous conformations underlying these dynamic and complex machines.
Key publications

Shaaban, M et al. Cryo-EM reveals the transition of Arp2/3 complex from inactive to nucleation-competent state. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, 2020.

Shaaban, M et al. Immune Checkpoint Regulators: a new era toward promising cancer therapy. Current Cancer Drug Targets, 2020.

Ali (now Shaaban), M et al. Updates on aptamer research. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2019.

Khalifa, A et al. Sex-specific differences in mitochondria biogenesis, morphology, respiratory function, and ROS homeostasis in young mouse heart and brain. Physiological Reports, 2017.

Fathalla, A et al. Adenosine A2A receptor blockade prevents rotenone-induced motor impairment in a rat model of parkinsonism. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 2016.

Key awards

PhD Scholarship, Francis Crick Institute.

Best Presentation Award, Stony Brook University.

Fulbright Scholarship, The Fulbright Program.

BioKMT Scholars Fund Award, The BioKMT Society.

The Ideal Student Medal, Fayoum University.

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