In each e-newsletter we profile research being done by one of our 40+ faculty members. This winter/spring we are highlighting Dr. Shehzad Sheikh from our IBD program.
Dr. Shehzad Z. Sheikh’s research focuses on understanding the pathogenesis of the human inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The rationale for his research is rooted in genome wide association studies that have linked many single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within genes of the innate immune system to IBD. However, which of these SNPs is causal with respect to IBD pathogenesis is unknown. Dr. Sheikh hypothesizes that genetic variation in IBD affecting chromatin structure at these SNPs results in important functional consequences on gene regulation.
Dr. Sheikh has cross-trained in disciplines that position him to bridge the fields of mucosal immunology, genomics and clinical IBD. After completing his PhD in Microbiology & Immunology, a clinical sub-sub-specialty fellowship in IBD (after a residency in Internal Medicine and a sub-specialty gastroenterology fellowship), he trained in high throughput genomics at the Carolina Center for Genome Sciences. With joint research appointments in the Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology Dr. Sheikh is uniquely qualified to identify and functionally characterize the functional significance of genes implicated in IBD pathogenesis.
Currently, Dr. Sheikh’s research team at UNC focuses on:
- characterizing quantitatively how the regulation of genome accessibility occurs and how it is coordinated with the underlying layers of information encoded in DNA
- the influence of variations in chromatin, RNA, small RNA and DNA nucleotide sequences on the phenotype of human IBD as individual variations in disease extent, severity and response to therapy
- developing novel therapies for IBD.
Dr. Sheikh’s research group is highly collaborative funded through various foundations (Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, American Gastroenterological Association, Broad Medical Research Program, Helmsley Charitable Trust) and the NIH (NIDDK and NIEHS). Results of work from his lab have resulted in integration of ‘multi-omics’ data including genome wide sequencing studies of chromatin, RNA, small RNA and microbial 16S rRNA with IBD disease phenotype. Dr. Sheikh’s background in genomics combined with expertise in mucosal immunology and clinical IBD has allowed him to establish and direct the Human Tissue and Genomics Core at UNC. As a Co-investigator this is an integral part of a program project grant (P01) led by Dr. Balfour Sartor, through which his laboratory receives generous funding to conduct molecular studies in human IBD.
Click here to learn more about the Sheikh Lab.