Dr Heba Ismail

MSc, PhD, FHEA

School of Medicine and Population Health

Lecturer in Chronic Disease Biology

Dr Heba Ismail
Dr Heba Ismail
Profile picture of Dr Heba Ismail
H.Ismail@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 2390
Firth Court

Full contact details

Dr Heba Ismail
School of Medicine and Population Health
Firth Court
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
Profile

I am currently a research group leader and lecturer in the Molecular Medicine division, Faculty of Health, at the University of Sheffield. 

My academic journey led me to obtain a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from University College London (UCL), which I completed in 2009. I then joined Professor Jeremy Saklatvala’s laboratory at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (Imperial College London) as a postdoctoral research fellow, where I developed a keen interest in the molecular mechanisms underlying osteoarthritis. 

In 2011, I moved to the University of Oxford as a senior postdoctoral fellow within the Osteoarthritis Centre of Excellence. My research there focused on the cellular events triggered by mechanical tissue injury, leading to the identification of key upstream mechanisms driving tissue damage in osteoarthritis. 

In 2018, I was awarded a Career Development Fellowship (CDF) by Versus Arthritis to investigate the ubiquitination machinery and enzymes mediating connective tissue injury, which are critical for the development of disease-modifying therapies for osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal disorders. This fellowship enabled me to relocate to the University of Sheffield where I established my research group.

Research interests

Research in my lab uncovers the cellular mechanisms driving chronic inflammation and tissue damage in musculoskeletal diseases, with a particular focus on osteoarthritis. We aim to redefine therapeutic strategies for osteoarthritis by disrupting the vicious cycle of mechanical injury and inflammation.

Our primary focus is on the ubiquitination machinery that mediates inflammatory responses triggered by mechanical stress. By targeting these pathways, we seek to develop disease-modifying therapies for osteoarthritis and related musculoskeletal conditions. Beyond osteoarthritis, our research also explores how the ubiquitin system contributes to mechanoflammation in the contexts of ageing, multimorbidity, and cancer.

To achieve these goals, we employ a range of advanced in vivo and ex vivo models, including murine and zebrafish systems, as well as human and porcine tissues. Our toolkit includes cutting-edge technologies such as advanced transgenesis, in vivo live imaging with light-sheet and confocal microscopy, functional genomics using CRISPR/Cas9-based loss-of-function and gain-of-function screens, mass spectrometry, and diverse biochemical approaches. These methodologies allow us to dissect the function and regulation of the ubiquitin system in both in vivo and in vitro settings.

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Journal articles

  • Khalil MI, Ismail HM, Panasyuk G, Bdzhola A, Filonenko V, Gout I & Pardo OE (2023) . International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(10).
  • Oliviero S, Millard E, Chen Z, Rayson A, Roberts BC, Ismail HMS, Bellantuono I & Dall’Ara E (2023) . Frontiers in Endocrinology, 13.
  • Zhu L, Kamalathevan P, Koneva LA, Zarebska JM, Chanalaris A, Ismail H, Wiberg A, Ng M, Muhammad H, Walsby-Tickle J , McCullagh JSO et al (2022) . Science Translational Medicine, 14(676).
  • Kaokhum N, Pinto-Fernández A, Wilkinson M, Kessler BM & Ismail HM (2022) . Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.
  • Southan J, McHugh E, Walker H & Ismail H (2020) . Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, 7.
  • Ismail HM, Didangelos A, Vincent TL & Saklatvala J (2017) . Arthritis & Rheumatology, 69(3), 565-575.
  • Ismail HM, Miotla-Zarebska J, Troeberg L, Tang X, Stott B, Yamamoto K, Nagase H, Fosang AJ, Vincent TL & Saklatvala J (2016) . Arthritis & Rheumatology, 68(5), 1165-1171.
  • Driscoll C, Chanalaris A, Knights C, Ismail H, Sacitharan PK, Gentry C, Bevan S & Vincent TL (2016) . Arthritis & Rheumatology, 68(4), 857-867.
  • Ismail HM, Yamamoto K, Vincent TL, Nagase H, Troeberg L & Saklatvala J (2015) . Arthritis & Rheumatology, 67(7), 1826-1836.
  • Ismail HMS, Hurd PJ, Khalil MIM, Kouzarides T, Bannister A & Gout I (2014) . Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 115(6), 1048-1062.
  • Ismail HMS, Myronova O, Tsuchiya Y, Niewiarowski A, Tsaneva I & Gout I (2013) . Cellular Signalling, 25(5), 1054-1063.
  • Watt FE, Ismail HM, Didangelos A, Peirce M, Vincent TL, Wait R & Saklatvala J (2013) . Arthritis & Rheumatism, 65(2), 397-407.
  • Hurd PJ, Bannister AJ, Halls K, Dawson MA, Vermeulen M, Olsen JV, Ismail H, Somers J, Mann M, Owen-Hughes T , Gout I et al (2009) . Journal of Biological Chemistry, 284(24), 16575-16583.

All publications

Journal articles

  • Khalil MI, Ismail HM, Panasyuk G, Bdzhola A, Filonenko V, Gout I & Pardo OE (2023) . International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(10).
  • Oliviero S, Millard E, Chen Z, Rayson A, Roberts BC, Ismail HMS, Bellantuono I & Dall’Ara E (2023) . Frontiers in Endocrinology, 13.
  • Zhu L, Kamalathevan P, Koneva LA, Zarebska JM, Chanalaris A, Ismail H, Wiberg A, Ng M, Muhammad H, Walsby-Tickle J , McCullagh JSO et al (2022) . Science Translational Medicine, 14(676).
  • Kaokhum N, Pinto-Fernández A, Wilkinson M, Kessler BM & Ismail HM (2022) . Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.
  • Southan J, McHugh E, Walker H & Ismail H (2020) . Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, 7.
  • Ismail HM, Didangelos A, Vincent TL & Saklatvala J (2017) . Arthritis & Rheumatology, 69(3), 565-575.
  • Ismail HM, Miotla-Zarebska J, Troeberg L, Tang X, Stott B, Yamamoto K, Nagase H, Fosang AJ, Vincent TL & Saklatvala J (2016) . Arthritis & Rheumatology, 68(5), 1165-1171.
  • Driscoll C, Chanalaris A, Knights C, Ismail H, Sacitharan PK, Gentry C, Bevan S & Vincent TL (2016) . Arthritis & Rheumatology, 68(4), 857-867.
  • Ismail HM, Yamamoto K, Vincent TL, Nagase H, Troeberg L & Saklatvala J (2015) . Arthritis & Rheumatology, 67(7), 1826-1836.
  • El-Halawany MS, Ismail HM, Zeeneldin AA, Elfiky A, Tantawy M, Kobaisi MH, Hamed I & Abdel Wahab AHA (2015) . BioMed Research International, 2015, 1-12.
  • Ismail HMS, Hurd PJ, Khalil MIM, Kouzarides T, Bannister A & Gout I (2014) . Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 115(6), 1048-1062.
  • Ismail HMS, Myronova O, Tsuchiya Y, Niewiarowski A, Tsaneva I & Gout I (2013) . Cellular Signalling, 25(5), 1054-1063.
  • Watt FE, Ismail HM, Didangelos A, Peirce M, Vincent TL, Wait R & Saklatvala J (2013) . Arthritis & Rheumatism, 65(2), 397-407.
  • Ismail HMS (2012) . Journal of Oncology, 2012, 1-10.
  • Ismail HMS, Medhat AM, Karim AM & Zakhary NI (2011) . International Journal of Breast Cancer, 2011, 1-9.
  • Ismail HMS, Medhat AM, Karim AM & Zakhary NI (2011) . Molecular Carcinogenesis, 50(8), 625-634.
  • Hurd PJ, Bannister AJ, Halls K, Dawson MA, Vermeulen M, Olsen JV, Ismail H, Somers J, Mann M, Owen-Hughes T , Gout I et al (2009) . Journal of Biological Chemistry, 284(24), 16575-16583.

Book chapters

  • Ismail HM & Vincent TL (2017) , Cartilage (pp. 27-40). Springer International Publishing

Conference proceedings

  • Zhu L, Chanalaris A, Ismail H, Wiberg A, Ng M, Watt FE, Furniss D, Gardiner M & Vincent TL (2019) Targeting retinoic acid metabolism as an anti-inflammatory treatment for hand osteoarthritis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY, Vol. 100(4) (pp A31-A32)
  • Zhu L, Ismail H, Chanalaris A, Gardiner M & Vincent TL (2018) . Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Vol. 77 (pp 179-180)
  • Ismail HM, Troeberg L, Vincent TL & Saklatvala J (2018) . Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, Vol. 26 (pp S108-S109)
  • Zhu L, Ismail H, Chanalaris A, Muhammad H, Lympany S & Vincent TL (2018) . Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, Vol. 26 (pp S107-S107)
  • Ismail HM, Yamamoto K, Nagase H, Vincent TL, Troeberg L & Saklatvala J (2017) The interplay between JNK pathway activation, proteoglycan turnover and endocytosis in chondrocytes. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY, Vol. 98(3) (pp A17-A18)
  • Ismail HM, Chanalaris A, Miotla-Zarebska J, Vincent TL & Saklatvala J (2016) . Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, Vol. 24 (pp S146-S146)
  • Ismail HM, Yamamoto K, Vincent T, Nagase H, Troeberg L & Saklatvala J (2015) . Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, Vol. 23 (pp A152-A152)
  • Ismail HM, Zarebska J, Vincent T & Saklatvala J (2015) . Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, Vol. 23 (pp A63-A64)
  • Ismail HM, Vincent TL & Saklatvala J (2014) The c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-2 controls articular cartilage aggrecan degradation and progression of experimental osteoarthritis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY, Vol. 95(3) (pp A16-A17)
  • Ismail HM, Vincent TL & Saklatvala J (2014) Wounding articular cartilage rapidly activates multiple signalling events in chondrocytes involving protein phosphorylation and polyubiquitination. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY, Vol. 95(3) (pp A16-A16)
  • Ismail HM, Sawaji Y & Saklatvala; J (2013) . Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, Vol. 21 (pp S127-S127)

Preprints

  • Khalil MI, Ismail HM, Panasyuk G, Gout I & Pardo OE (2022) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Kaokhum N, Pinto-Fernández A, Wilkinson M, Kessler B & Ismail H (2022) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Zhu L, Kamalathevan P, Koneva L, Zarebska JM, Chanalaris A, Ismail H, Wiberg A, Ng M, Muhammed H, Watt FE , Sansom S et al (2021) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Teaching interests

I’m a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and currently a deputy lead on MolMed MED607 module (Mining Bioinformatics Data) and a lecturer on the following modules:

  • CDL610 Research Skills
  • CL416 Protein Network in Disease Models
  • CDL301 Cardiovascular Medicine: From Molecules to Man (Haemostasis and Thrombosis)
  • BIS330: Modelling Diseases
Professional activities and memberships
  • Versus Arthritis Bridging Research Fellow
  • Group leader at the Bateson Centre for disease models
  • Deputy lead of postgraduate research recruitment
  • PhD supervisor and personal academic tutor
  • Full member of British Biochemical society and International Society for Regenerative Biology