Dr. Sheikh specializes in bacterial pathogenesis, host-pathogen interactions, host responses, and vaccines, with a special focus on enteric bacterial pathogens including enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). His research focuses on understanding the effects of enteric infections on intestinal cells leading to long-term consequences including enteropathic changes leading to malnutrition in children. To study the effects of enteric infections on intestinal stem cells and gut enteropathy he uses organoid system, mouse model, single-cell sequencing, flowcytometry, CRISPR/Cas genome editing, and other genomic and proteomic tools.
He is currently mentoring postdoctoral fellows in the Fleckenstein lab in infectious diseases. He also participated in the postdoctoral peer mentorship program as a mentor.
- PhD, Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Washington University in St. Louis, MO (2017)
- Fogarty Fellow, Harvard-Massachusetts General Hospital-icddrb combined (2011)
- MS, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh (2005)
- BSc, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh (2003)
- Ruth L Kirschstein National Research Service Award (2021-2022), National Institute of Health
- Ryan ET, Charles RC, Sheikh A, Qadri F. Kits and assays for amplification of expressed salmonella genes from blood. Pub. No.: WO/2012/071405 Publication Date: 31.05.2012; http://patentscope.wipo.int
- Sheikh A, Tumala B, Vickers TJ, Martin JC, Rosa BA, Sabui S, Basu S, Simoes RD, Mitreva M, Storer C, Tyksen E, Head RD, Beatty W, Said HM, Fleckenstein JM. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin drives enteropathic changes in small intestinal epithelia. Nat Commun. 2022 Nov 12;13(1):6886. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-34687-7. PMID: 36371425; PMCID: PMC9653437.
- Sheikh A, Wangdi T, Vickers TJ, Aaron B, Palmer M, Miller MJ, Kim S, Herring C, Simoes R, Crainic JA, Gildersleeve JC, van der Post S, Hansson GC, Fleckenstein JM. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli degrades the host MUC2 mucin barrier to facilitate critical pathogen-enterocyte interactions in human small intestine. Infect Immun. 2022 Feb 17;90(2):e0057221. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00572-21. Epub 2021 Nov 22. PMID: 34807735; PMCID: PMC8853678.
- Sheikh A, Tumala B, Vickers TJ, Alvarado D, Ciorba MA, Bhuiyan TR, Qadri F, Singer BB, Fleckenstein JM. CEACAMs serve as toxin-stimulated receptors for enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Nov 17;117(46):29055-29062. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2012480117. Epub 2020 Nov 2. PMID: 33139570; PMCID: PMC7682567.
- Fleckenstein JM, Sheikh A. Emerging themes in the molecular pathogenesis of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. J Infect Dis. 2021 Dec 20;224(12 Suppl 2):S813-S820. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiab359. PMID: 34273153; PMCID: PMC8687053