Heba Ismail

Dr. Heba Ismail is a Lecturer in Chronic Disease Biology at the School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield. She leads a research group in the Molecular Medicine division and serves as a Deputy Lead for the MolMed MED607 module. Her work bridges biochemical mechanisms and clinical translation in musculoskeletal diseases.

• Education: PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from University College London (2009), followed by postdoctoral work at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (Imperial College London) and the University of Oxford.
• Research Interests: Focus on ubiquitination machinery in osteoarthritis, mechanoflammation, and disease-modifying therapies. Explores roles in ageing, multimorbidity, and cancer.

Her research employs murine and zebrafish models, CRISPR/Cas9 functional screens, mass spectrometry, and live imaging to dissect ubiquitin-mediated inflammatory pathways. Articles highlight translational advances in osteoarthritis and epigenetic regulation via histone phosphorylation.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Career Development Fellowship (2018) by Versus Arthritis
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Professional Memberships:
  • British Biochemical Society
  • International Society for Regenerative Biology

She contributes to postgraduate research recruitment and supervises PhD students within the Bateson Centre for disease models.