Dr Ameera Jailani

BSc MSc(Res) PhD

Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Ameera Jailani
Ameera Jailani
Profile picture of Ameera Jailani
a.jailani@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 215 9025
DU24, D Floor, The Medical School

Full contact details

Dr Ameera Jailani
Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health
DU24, D Floor
The Medical School
Beech Hill Road
Sheffield
S10 2RX
Profile

I joined University of Sheffield in 2019 as a Postdoctoral Research Associate working with Prof Tim Skerry and Dr Gareth Richards to investigate novel interactions between receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs) and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their signalling consequences, especially in the context of cancer. We are developing novel therapeutic strategies targeting these signals to improve survival in diseases with unmet clinical need such as pancreatic cancer and metastatic prostate cancer.

My undergraduate and MSc studies gave me a strong grounding in biomedical sciences and oncology that supported my PhD research project supervised by Prof Tim Skerry and Dr Gareth Richards (2015-2019), funded by Wellcome Seeding Drug Discovery Awards. I developed first-in-class small molecule antagonists against adrenomedullin-2 receptor as novel anti-cancer agents, currently in the preclinical stage of drug development. Most notably, these small molecule antagonists not only reduce the growth of breast and pancreatic cancer cells but also have anti-tumour effects on stromal cells in the tumour microenvironment.

As a University of Sheffield alumni, I am passionate about giving back and contributing to shaping the newer generation of Sheffield students. I mentor undergraduate Medical (Personal Academic Tutor) and PhD students (Thesis Mentor, Yorkshire Consortium for Equity in Doctoral Education (YCEDE) Postgraduate Mentor) as well as supervise undergraduate (Sheffield Undergraduate Research Experience; SURE) and MSc research projects (MSc(Res) Translational Oncology, MSc Molecular Medicine and MSc Reproduction and Developmental Medicine). My students have won research prizes (SURE Student Researcher of the Year, Best Output – Non-Poster 2022) and gained entry into prestigious PhD schemes (A*STAR PhD 2020, CRUK Black Leaders in Cancer PhD 2023).

I am MED6098 Deputy Module Lead (MSc Molecular Medicine and MSc Drug Discovery Science) and was award an Early Career Researcher Award by The Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health in 2022 for outstanding contributions to teaching on this module.

Qualifications
  • 2009-2013: BSc(Hons) in Life Sciences (Biomedical Sciences) + University Scholars Programme (National University of Singapore); final year project supervised by Prof Dario Campana developing novel cancer therapies to enhance cytotoxicity of Natural Killer cells
  • 2013-2014: MSc(Res) in Translational Oncology – Distinction (University of Sheffield); MSc project supervised by Dr Graham Stafford validating alternative sialic acid antigen expression as potential oral cancer biomarkers
  • 2015-2019: PhD “Investigating the effect of small molecule antagonists against adrenomedullin-2 receptor in pancreatic cancer” supervised by Prof Tim Skerry and Dr Gareth Richards (University of Sheffield)
  • 2016: Home Office PIL ABC Licence Training (Cambridge)
  • 2023: Home Office PPL Module course
Research interests

I am part of Prof Tim Skerry and Dr Gareth Richards’ research group where our interests are identification and validation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) as disease biomarkers, with a focus on their interactions with receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs). We also develop novel agents targeting GPCR/RAMP receptor complexes in collaboration with Prof Joe Harrity (Department of Chemistry).

I am also interested in investigating signalling mechanisms within pancreatic cancer stroma (immune cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, blood/lymph vasculature). In 2023, I co-founded Sheffield Pancreatic Cancer Research Network with Dr Helen Matthews (School of Biosciences), which spans Faculties and institutions in Sheffield. This group serves as a platform for clinicians, researchers and other stakeholders to come together, share knowledge, and collectively work towards tackling pancreatic cancer in Sheffield. We hold meetings twice a year to share clinical and non-clinical pancreatic cancer research based in Sheffield. Please get in touch if you want to get involved!

Publications

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Journal articles

All publications

Journal articles

Grants
  • 2019-2022 SURE and MSc(Res) student projects: I submitted research proposals for Sheffield Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) and MSc(Res) student projects as primary supervisor and have received a total £10,500 (2019-2022) towards lab consumables.
  • 2023 BPS Travel Bursary: I was awarded a travel bursary from The British Pharmacological Society to attend the 19th World Congress of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (WCP2023) where my abstract scored highly and I was selected to be a speaker in an expert Symposia “GPCRs in cancer: New therapeutic opportunities”
Teaching interests

Since 2018, I have been involved in the teaching and assessment of MED6098 (MSc Molecular Medicine and MSc Drug Discovery Science), which I am currently Deputy Module Lead of. I lecture weekly for 3 months on using statistics in the context of scientific research. I also created a series of online lecture videos teaching the theory and practical aspects of using mathematics in a laboratory research setting. I run a 5-day laboratory practical session for the students, where they are responsible for running their own experiments following a written protocol, as well as writing up a report and lab book.

Since 2019, I mark literature reviews and dissertations for MSc(Res) Translational Oncology, MSc Molecular Medicine and MSc Reproduction and Developmental Medicine. I also supervise SSC (2018-now), SURE (2022 and 2023) and MSc (2019-now) student research projects.

Professional activities and memberships

I joined the University’s Steering Board for Research Culture as an Early Career Researcher representative (2023-now). I represent ECRs, seek their views for input to the steering group, share research culture aspirations with the wider community and ensure alignment of steering group outputs with local and institutional strategies and initiatives.

In 2023, I was an NCRI Proposal Guidance Early Career Researcher panel member, which offer investigators the opportunity to submit their cancer study proposals for review by a bespoke panel of experts and receive written feedback to assist them with the development of their study.

As I am passionate about shaping the new generation of scientists, I became a STEM Ambassador in 2021. I participate in “Life After School” and “Sector Insight” mentoring schemes as well as “I am a Scientist” text-based Chats with school students.

I am currently a member of:

  • The British Association for Cancer Research (BACR)
  • The European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)
  • The British Pharmacological Society (BPS)
  • UK Early Career Researchers in Cancer (UK ECRC) – formerly National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Early Career Researchers Forum.

Conferences/workshops/training sessions attended:

  • EACR-FEBS Advanced Lecture Course: Molecular Mechanisms in Signal Transduction and Cancer (poster, Spetses, Greece, 16-24 August 2017)
  • Springboard for Women – professional development programme offered to women in research in the University (September to December 2019)
  • Introduction to Commercialising Medical Innovations (by Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence Dr Michael Murray, January to June 2020)
  • BPS & SMR joint meeting: Current Trends in Drug Discovery (oral presentation, 9-10 June 2021)
  • BACR 60th Anniversary Meeting (Nottingham, 26-28 June 2022)
  • BACR Trailblazers in Cancer Research, The Next Generation (oral presentation, Manchester, 22-23 June 2023)
  • 19th World Congress of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (oral presentation, Glasgow, 2-7 July 2023)
  • BACR Tumour Microenvironment & 3D Model Workshop (Nottingham, 6-8 September 2023)
  • Sheffield Pancreatic Cancer Research Network meeting (oral presentation, 16 Nov 2023)
  • 2023 48th Pancreatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Annual Scientific Meeting (Sheffield, 30 Nov-1 Dec 2023)
Current projects
  • Development of research tools and therapeutics against G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) and receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs) heteromeric complexes.
  • Identifying and validating novel GPCR/RAMP protein interactions, their downstream signalling and functional consequences in normal and disease states.
  • Stroma targeting therapeutic strategies (e.g. modulating cancer-associated fibroblasts, immune cells).

Links

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