Academic Staff
Shaikali Thameem DHEEN
(PhD; M Phil; MSc; BSc)
Tel: +65 6516 3217
Email: antstd@nus.edu.sg
Office: MD10 #04-01P
Present Research Interests
My research interests primarily revolve around two distinct areas: Understanding the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to
1. neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring of diabetic pregnancy and
2. microglia-mediated neuroinflammation in neuropathology and cognitive impairment in healthy ageing brain.
Future Research Directions
We aim:
1. to determine glucose sensitive molecular targets (genes and epigenetic factors including miRNAs) that can potentially be risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring of diabetic pregnancy.
2. to establish a comprehensive database of the molecular, morphological and functional features of dystrophic microglia associated with aging and pathological brains. This would form the basis for identification of novel biomarkers associated with healthy aging microglia as well as microglia found in a pathological state.
Professional Memberships
- President, Singapore Neuroscience Association [http://www.neuroscience.org.sg]
- President(2003-2008) Microscopy Society (Singapore), http://www.microscopy.org.sg
- Member, Society for Neuroscience, USA
- Member, International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) Governing Council
- Council Member, Federation of Asian-Oceanian Neuroscience Societies (FAONS)
- Singapore National Coordinator, International Brain Bee Challenge
- International Reviewer Board member, Neural Regeneration Research by Elsevier. (IF 3.17)
- Review Editor, Frontiers in Endocrinology (IF 5.5)
- Editor for a special issue of Cells (IF 6.6)) on "Glia in Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Editorial Board Member, Journal of Endocrinology and Reproduction
- Editorial Board Member, Indian Journal of Experimental Biology
- Editorial Board Member, SCIOL Genetic Science
- Editorial Advisory Board member, Recent Patents on Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Drug Discovery, by Bentham Science Publishers.
Honours & Awards
- 2020- NUS Medicine Graduate Mentor Award of the Year (GRAMAY 2020)
- 2019- NUS Medicine Teaching Excellence Award
- 2018-Distinguished Neuroscientist Award by Singapore Neuroscience Association
- 2015 – Pio del Rio Hortega award for excellence in microglia research presented by International Society for Neurochemistry.
- 2009- ‘Fellowship in Reproduction and Endocrinology’ awarded by Society for Reproductive Biology and Comparative Endocrinology.
- 2004-Travel Scholarship, 8th Asia Pacific Electron Microscopy Conference, Kanazawa, Japan.
- 1995-1996 Canadian Diabetes Association Postdoctoral Fellowship
- 1994-1995 University of Manitoba (Canada), Faculty of Medicine Postdoctoral Fellowship
- 1991-1994 National University of Singapore Research Scholarship
Selected Publications
- Gupta N & Dheen, ST (2021), A paradigm shift: emerging roles of microglia, a non-neuronal cell, in learning and memory. Neural Regeneration Research 16 (10): 1992. Doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.308082
- Saw, G, Krishna, K, Gupta, N., Soong, TW, Mallilankaraman, K, Sajikumar, S, & Dheen, ST (2020), Epigenetic regulation of microglial phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway involved in long-term potentiation and synaptic plasticity in rats. GLIA, 68(3), 656-669.
- Kandilya D, Shyamasundar S, Singh DK, Banik A, Hande MP, Stunkel W, Chong YS, Dheen ST (2020). High glucose alters the DNA methylation pattern of neurodevelopment associated genes in human neural progenitor cells in vitro. Scientific Reports (Nature Research Publisher), 10(1).doi:10.1038/s41598-020-72485-7.
- Kandilya D, Maskomani S, Shyamasundar S, Tambyah PA, Yng CS, Lee RCH, Hande MP, Mallilankaraman K, Chu JTH, Dheen ST (2019). Zika virus alters DNA methylation status of genes involved in Hippo signaling pathway in human neural progenitor cells. Epigenomics Vol. 11 (10) pp. 1143 – 1162.
- Karthikeyan A, Gupta N, Tang C, Mallilankaraman K, Maskomani S, Shi M, Lu L & Ang BT, Ling EA, Dheen ST (2018), Microglial SMAD4 regulated by microRNA-146a promotes migration of microglia which support tumor progression in a glioma environment. Oncotarget 9 (38). Doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.25116.
- Patnala, R., Arumugam, TV, Gupta, N. and Dheen ST(2017), HDAC Inhibitor Sodium Butyrate-Mediated Epigenetic Regulation Enhances Neuroprotective Function of Microglia During Ischemic Stroke. Mol Neurobiol 54, 6391–6411.
- Jadhav S, SP Kamath, M Choolani, J Lu and Dheen ST, microRNA-200b modulates microglia-mediated neuroinflammation via the cJun/MAPK pathway. Journal of Neurochemistry, 130, no. 3 (2014): 388-401.
- Lin H; Baby N; Lu J; Kaur C; Zhang C; Xu J; Ling E-A; Dheen ST (2011) Expression of sphingosine kinase 1 in amoeboid microglial cells in the corpus callosum of postnatal rats. Journal of neuroinflammation Vol. 8:13.
- Dheen, S T, C Kaur and E A Ling (2007), Microglial activation and its implications in the brain diseases. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 14 (11), 1189-1197.
- Fu, J, S S W Tay, E A Ling and ST Dheen (2006), High glucose alters expression of genes involved in proliferation and cell fate specification of embryonic neural stem cells. Diabetologia, 49 (5): 1027-1038.
- Dheen ST Yan J, Zhou Y, SSW Tay and EA Ling (2005), Retinoic acid inhibits expression of TNF-alpha and iNOS in activated rat microglia. Glia 50:21–31.
- Liao DM, YK Ng, SSW Tay, EA Ling and ST Dheen (2004), Altered gene expression with abnormal patterning of the telencephalon in embryos of diabetic mice. Diabetologia47, 3: 523-531.
- Dheen ST; Sleptsova-Friedrich I; Xu YF; Clark M; Lehrach H; Gong ZY; Korzh V (1999). Zebrafish tbx-c functions during formation of midline structures. Development Vol. 126 (12) pp. 2703 – 2713.
- Dheen ST; Rajkumar K; Murphy LJ (1996) Effects of insulin-like growth factors (IGF) on pancreatic islet function in IGF binding protein-1 transgenic mice. Diabetologia Vol. 39 (11) pp. 1249 – 1254.
- Rajkumar K; Krsek M; Dheen ST; Murphy LJ (1996). Impaired glucose homeostasis in insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 transgenic mice. Journal of Clinical Investigation Vol. 98 (8) pp. 1818 - 1825