INTRODUCTION:

We endeavor to exploit the exponentially growing data from different genomic projects and other high throughput technologies to understand the role of genetic and epigenetic varaiations in common diseases. We also attempt to utilize genomic resources and bioinformatics tools to design molecular detection methods that can be be used to improve screening, diagnosis, and management of personalized treatment protocols.

GROUP LEADER: Dr. Yaqoub Ashhab

GROUP MEMBERS:

• Ms. Asma Tamimi - Research Assistant (Lab manager)
• Mr. Naseem Al-Bakri - MS Student
• Ms. Nour Sharawi - MS Student
• Mr. Salah AlJubah - MS Student
• Ms. Bessan  Abu Snineh - MS Student
• Ms. Ayat Taha - MS Student
• Ms. Ikhlas Abu Hamad - MS Student
• Mr. Abdelhalim Abuawad -PhD candidate at Julich Research Center (co-supervision)

CURRENT ACTIVE PROJECTS:

• Developing a cost-effective genotyping approach for CYP2C19 gene variants that are associated drug metabolism.   

• Characterization of IS711 element in genomes of Brucella species

• Outer membrane vesicles production from genetically modified Gram negative bacteria as antigen vehicle  

• Dr. Hashem Tamimi
  Faculty of Information Technology, Palestine Polytechnic University.

• Prof. Hans-Joachim Krause
  Institute of Complex Systems, Bioelectronics (ICS-8), ForschungszentrumJülich, Germany.

• Prof. Fathia MAMI-CHOUAIB
  Gustave Roussy Cancer Centre, Paris, France

• Prof. Guido Grandi
  Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO) Laboratory of Synthetic and Structural Vaccinology University of Trento Trento Italy.

  Alumni

• Aljanazreh B, Alzatari K, Tamimi A, Alsaafeen MH, Hassouneh W, Ashhab Y. 

  Brucellosis re-emergence after a decade of quiescence in Palestine, 2015-2017: A seroprevalence and molecular characterization study. 

  Transbound Emerg Dis. 2021 Jul 31. doi: 10.1111/tbed.14270.

   
• Yasmin Hisham, Yaqoub Ashhab, Sang-Hyun Hwang, Dong-Eun Kim. 
  Identification of highly conserved SARS-CoV-2 antigenic epitopes with wide coverage using reverse vaccinology approach.
  Viruses. 2021, 13, 787.

• Ilaria Zanella, Enrico König, Michele Tomasi, Assunta Gagliardi, Samine J. Isaac, Martina Grigolato, Luca Frattini Francesca Zerbini, Laura Fantappiè, Carmela Irene, Elena Caproni, Riccardo Corbellari, Silvia Valensin, Luca Bini, Yaqoub Ashhab, Alberto Grandi, Guido Grandi.
  Proteome-minimized Outer Membrane Vesicles from Escherichia coli as a vaccine platform for infectious diseases and cancer. 
  J Extracell Vesicles. 2021 Feb;10(4).

• Shatleh-Rantisi D, Tamimi A, Ashhab Y. 
  Improving sensitivity of single tube nested PCR to detect fastidious microorganisms. 
  Heliyon. 2020 Jan 27;6(1):e03246.doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03246.
   
• Sultan, R., Tamimi, H. and Ashhab, Y. 
  Improving classification performance using genetic programming to evolve string kernels. 
  Int. Arab J. Inf. Technol. (2019) 16(3), pp.454-459.
   
• Hisham Y, Ashhab Y. 
  Identification of Cross-Protective Potential Antigens against Pathogenic Brucella spp. through Combining Pan-Genome Analysis with Reverse Vaccinology. 
  J Immunol Res. (2018) Dec 9;2018:1474517. doi: 10.1155/2018/1474517.
• Tamimi A, Ashhab Y, Tamimi H.
  Accelerating Information Retrieval from Profile Hidden Markov Model Databases.
  PLoS One. (2016) Nov 22;11(11):e0166358. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166358. eCollection 2016.

• Issa MN, Ashhab Y.
  Identification of Brucella melitensis Rev.1 vaccine-strain genetic markers: Towards understanding the molecular mechanism behind virulence attenuation.
  Vaccine.(2016) Sep 22;34(41):4884-4891. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.08.059. Epub 2016 Aug 29.

• Qabajah M, Awwad E, Ashhab Y.
  Molecular characterisation of Escherichia coli from dead broiler chickens with signs of colibacillosis and ready-to-market chicken meat in the West Bank.
  Br Poult Sci. (2014) ;55(4):442-51. doi: 10.1080/00071668.2014.935998. Epub 2014 Sep 3.

• Nesta B, Valeri M, Spagnuolo A, Rosini R, Mora M, Donato P, Alteri CJ, Del Vecchio M, Buccato S, Pezzicoli A, Bertoldi I, Buzzigoli L, Tuscano G, Falduto M, Rippa V, Ashhab Y, Bensi G, Fontana MR, Seib KL, Mobley HL, Pizza M, Soriani M, Serino L.
  SslE elicits functional antibodies that impair in vitro mucinase activity and in vivo colonization by both intestinal and extraintestinal Escherichia coli strains.
  PLoSPathog. (2014) May 8;10(5):e1004124. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004124. eCollection 2014 May. Erratum in: PLoSPathog. 2015 Mar;11(3):e1004773.

• Ayyash M, Tamimi H, Ashhab Y.
  Developing a powerful in silico tool for the discovery of novel caspase-3 substrates: a preliminary screening of the human proteome.
  BMC Bioinformatics. (2012) Jan 23;13:14. doi: 10.1186/1471-2105-13-14.