Queens University, Canada.
Abdolkarim Sheikhi is an Iranian immunologist and professor at Dezful University of Medical Sciences. With a distinguished career spanning over three decades, he has made significant contributions to the field of immunology, particularly in NK cell activity, immune responses, and molecular immunology. He has held key academic positions, supervised numerous research projects, and has been actively involved in establishing laboratories and clinical centers. His expertise extends to advanced immunological techniques, teaching, and scientific society memberships.
Profile
🎓 Education
Abdolkarim Sheikhi earned his B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from Shahid Chamran University, Iran (1985–1989), followed by an M.Sc. in Medical Immunology from Tarbiat Modarres University, Iran (1989–1992), where he researched Natural Killer (NK) activity assays in cancerous patients and normal individuals. He then completed his Ph.D. in Medical Immunology at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran (1996–2002), focusing on the influence of soluble HLA molecules on NK cells, particularly their quantity and role in malignant peritoneal and pleural effusions, shedding light on immune interactions in cancer progression.
💼 Experience
Professor Abdolkarim Sheikhi has had a distinguished academic career in Immunology, currently serving as a Professor at the Department of Immunology, Dezful University of Medical Sciences (2016–Present). Before this, he was an Associate Professor at the same institution (2010–2016) and at Zanjan University of Medical Sciences (2009–2010). His journey in academia began as an Assistant Professor (2002–2009) and an Academic Staff Member (1992–2002) at Zanjan University of Medical Sciences. In addition to his teaching and research, he has held Visiting Scientist positions at Queen’s University (Canada), Universitätsklinikum Kiel (Germany), and VUmc University (Netherlands), contributing to global immunology research.
Immunology: Natural Killer (NK) cells, immune regulation, immune responses in infections and cancers
Molecular Immunology: sHLA molecules, T cell activation, antigen presentation
Autoimmune Diseases & Allergies
Cancer Immunotherapy & Monoclonal Antibodies
🏆 Awards
Tehran University of Medical Sciences – Research grant for autologous LAK cell therapy in cancer
Shahed University of Medical Sciences – Study on the effect of garlic extract on RAGE expression in diabetic patients
📚 Selected Publications
Sheikhi, A., Baghaie, L., Rahbarizadeh, F., Safarzadeh Kozani, P., Moradian, C., Davidi, M., Baharifar, N., Kaboli, G., Sheikhi, M., Li, Y., et al. (2025).
Novel sACE2-Anti-CD16VHH Fusion Protein Surreptitiously Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Variant Spike Proteins and Macrophage Cytokines, and Activates Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity.
Vaccines.
Yazdanpanah‐Samani, M., Ramezani, A., Sheikhi, A., Mostafavi‐Pour, Z., Erfani, N. (2024).
Anti‐PD‐L1 Chimeric Antigen Receptor Natural Killer Cell: Characterization and Functional Analysis.
APMIS.
Akbarian, S., Sheikhi, M., Khedri, P., Baharifar, N., Khalaf Shamsabadi, F., Davidi, M. R., Khazaei, H. A., Assarian, H., Sheikhi, A. (2023).
The Correlation Between Humoral Immune Responses and Severity of Clinical Symptoms in COVID-19 Patients.
Epidemiology and Infection.
Momtazan, S., Ramezani, S., Momeni, A., Sheikhi, A. (2023).
The Potential Benefits of Ginger in Cancer Therapy.
Trends in Medical Sciences.