Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
After studying Biology and Chemistry at the University of Marburg, I graduated with a Diploma (1987) which is equivalent to a BSc plus an MSc. I stayed at the University of Marburg to undertake a PhD in Biochemistry entitled “On the Mechanism of Energy Transduction in Biological Membranes – Studies on Isolated and in Liposomes Reconstituted Cytochrome c Oxidase” under the supervision of Professor Bernhard Kadenbach. Part of my PhD work I carried out in the laboratories of Professor Sergio Papa at the Institute of Medical Biochemistry and Chemistry, University of Bari, Italy, and Dr Martin Brand at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. These research visits were sponsored by an EMBO Short Term Fellowship and by the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie, respectively. In 1990 I completed my PhD with distinction.
After my PhD I took up a position as Head of Laboratories at the Faculty of Process Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Furtwangen (1990-1991). This job included planning and designing of laboratories for the new founded course in Bioengineering. In 1992, I returned to science and took up a position as a postdoctoral research assistant at the prestigious Max-Planck-Institute for Biology in Tübingen to work with Professor Peter Overath on the transferrin receptor of Trypanosoma brucei. This allowed me to get a Research Group Leader position at the Department of Parasitology, University of Heidelberg (1995-2001). I continued my work on the transferrin receptor of T. brucei and started screening of natural and synthetic compounds for trypanocidal and leishmanicidal activity. During this time I completed my Habilitation in Biochemistry (2000) and was awarded the venia legendi and the title “Privatdozent”. After a short research stay at the Interdisciplinary Research Center, University of Gießen (2001), I took up a position as Lecturer in Parasitology at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol (2001-2004). Here I continued my work on screening of compounds for trypanocidal activity and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2003. In 2004 I joined the Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia as Lecturer in Biochemistry and Genetics. Ever since I am carrying forward my research on antimicrobial drug screening. In 2008 I was promoted to Senior Lecturer again.
Career
Career summary
- 1987-1990, Graduate Teaching Assistant , Faculty of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Germany
- 1990-1991, Head of Laboratories, Faculty of Process Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Furtwangen, Germany
- 1992-1995, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Department of Membrane Biochemistry, Max-Planck-Institute for Biology Tübingen, Germany
- 1995-2001, Research Group Leader, Department of Parasitology, University of Heidelberg, Germany
- 2001, Senior Research Assistant, Interdisciplinary Research Center, University of Gießen, Germany
- 2001-2004, Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Parasitology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
Academic Background
- 1981-1987, University of Marburg, Germany, Diploma in Chemistry and Biology (equivalent to B.Sc. plus M.Sc.)
- 1987-1990, University of Marburg, Germany, Ph.D. in Biochemistry (Distinction)
- 1995-2000, University of Heidelberg, Germany, Habilitation in Biochemistry (venia legendi)
- Since 2005, member of the British Society for Parasitology
Key Research Interests
My main research interest in the causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness, the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei.
One area of interest is the transferrin receptor of bloodstream forms of T. brucei which structure is completely different from that of the mammalian transferrin receptor. Especially, I am interested in the interaction between host transferrin and the trypanosomal transferrin receptor. In particular, I want to determine the epitope of host transferrin that is involved in binding to the trypanosomal transferrin receptor. This will be done by crystallography of the ligand-receptor-complex in collaboration with Professor Changjiang Dong. Knowledge of this epitope will provide information for designing peptides that are able to interfere with the binding of host transferrin to the trypanosomal transferrin receptor and could be the starting point for the development of peptidomimetic inhibitors and non-peptide inhibitors as trypanocidal agents.
Another area of interest is the screening of compounds for antimicrobial activity. Especially, I have an interest in the antitrypanosomal activity of cysteine protease, proteasome and topoisomerase inhibitors. Primarily, I am testing natural and synthetic compounds for their trypanocidal and cytotoxic activities using cell culture based assays. These investigations are carried out in collaboration with different partners from all over the world. In addition, I have also an interest in screening compounds for activity against fungal infections (e.g. Candida ssp.).
A third area of interest in the diagnosis of neglected tropical diseases. I am particular interested in the development of PCR based methods for diagnosis of trypanosomatid infections (Trypanosoma ssp. andLeishmania ssp.). I am also interested in the diagnosis of helminth infections (Echinococcus ssp.) using immunological methods.
Research Keywords
Screening of compounds for antitrypanosomal activity
Iron metabolism of trypanosomes
Diagnosis of neglected tropical diseases
Screening of compounds for antifungal activity
Trypanosomal transferrin receptor
Postgraduate Research Student Supervision
Antimicrobial drug screening
Studies into the trypanosomal LDL receptor
Highlighted Publications
- Steverding, D., Sexton, D.W., Wang, X., Gehrke, S.S., Wagner, G.K. & Caffrey, C.R. (2012) Trypanosoma brucei: chemical evidence that cathepsin L is essential for survival and a relevant drug target. Int. J. Parasitol. 42, 481-488
- Steverding, D., Wang, X., Potts, B.C.M. & Palladino, M.A. (2012) Trypanocidal activity of β-lactone-γ-lactam proteasome inhibitors. Planta Med. 78, 131-134
- Steverding, D. & Wang, X. (2009) Evaluation of anti-sleeping sickness drugs and topoisomerase inhibitors in combination on Trypanosoma brucei. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 63, 1293-1295
- Deterding, A., Dungey, F.A., Thompson, K.-A. & Steverding, D. (2005) Anti-trypanosomal activities of DNA topoisomerase inhibitors. Acta Trop. 93, 311-316
- Becker, S., Franco, J.R., Simarro, P.P., Stich, A., Abel, P.M. & Steverding, D. (2004). Real-time PCR for detection of Trypanosoma brucei in human blood samples. Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 50, 193-199
- Genn, R.J., Pemberton, A.J., Royle, H.J., Spackman, R.W., Smith, E., Rivett, A.J. & Steverding, D. (2004) Trypanocidal effect of α’,β’-epoxyketones indicates that trypanosomes are particularly sensitive to inhibitors of proteasome trypsin-like activity. Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents 24, 286-289
- Nkemgu-Njinkeng, J., Rosenkranz, V., Wink, M. & Steverding, D. (2002) Antitrypanosomal activities of proteasome inhibitors. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 46, 2038-2040
- Kabiri, M. & Steverding, D. (2000) Studies on the recycling of the transferrin receptor in Trypanosoma brucei using an inducible gene expression system. Eur. J. Biochem. 267, 3309-3314
- Fast, B., Kremp, K., Boshart, M. & Steverding, D. (1999) Iron-dependent regulation of transferrin-receptor expression in Trypanosoma brucei. Biochem. J. 342, 691-696
- Steverding, D., Stierhof, Y.-D., Fuchs, H., Tauber, R. & Overath P. (1995) Transferrin binding protein complex is the receptor for transferrin uptake in Trypanosoma brucei. J. Cell Biol. 131, 1173-1182
Selected publication
- Caffrey, C.R. & Steverding, D. (2008) Recent initiatives and strategies to developing new drugs for tropical parasitic diseases. Expert Opin. Drug Discov., 3, 173-186
- Caffrey, C.R., Steverding, D., Swenerton, R.K., Kelly, B., Walshe, D., Debnath, A., Zhou, Y.-M., Doyle, P.S., Fafarman, A.T., Zorn, J.A., Land, K.M., Beauchene, J., Schreiber, K., Moll, H., Ponte-Sucre, A., Schirmeister, T., Saravanamuthu, A., Fairlamb, A.H., Cohen, F.E., McKerrow, J.H., Weisman, J.L. & May, B.C.H. (2007) Bis-acridines as lead anti-parasitic agents: structure activity analysis of a discrete compound library in vitro. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 51, 2164-2172
- Steverding, D. (2006) On the significance of host antibody response to the Trypanosoma bruceitransferrin receptor during chronic infection. Microbes Infect. 8, 2777-2782
- Ginger, M.L., Ngazoa, E., Pereira, C.A., Pullen, T.J., Kabiri, M., Becker, K., Gull, K., & Steverding, D. (2005) Intracellular positioning of isoforms explains an unusually large adenylate kinase gene family in the parasite Trypanosoma brucei. J. Biol. Chem. 280, 11781-11789
- Deterding, A., Dungey, F.A., Thompson, K.-A. & Steverding, D. (2005) Anti-trypanosomal activities of DNA topoisomerase inhibitors. Acta Trop. 93, 311-316
- Becker, S., Franco, J.R., Simarro, P.P., Stich, A., Abel, P.M. & Steverding, D. (2004) Real-time PCR for detection of Trypanosoma brucei in human blood samples. Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 50, 193-199
- Genn, R.J., Pemberton, A.J., Royle, H.J., Spackman, R.W., Smith, E., Rivett, A.J. & Steverding, D. (2004) Trypanocidal effect of α’,β’-epoxyketones indicates that trypanosomes are particularly sensitive to inhibitors of proteasome trypsin-like activity. Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents 24, 286-289
- Nkemgu-Njinkeng, J., Rosenkranz, V., Wink, M. & Steverding, D. (2002) Antitrypanosomal activities of proteasome inhibitors. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 46, 2038-2040
- Kabiri, M., & Steverding, D. (2001) Identification of a developmentally regulated iron superoxide dismutase in Trypanosoma brucei. Biochem. J. 360, 173-177
- Hofer, A., Steverding, D., Chabes, A., Brun, R. & Thelander, L. (2001) Trypanosoma brucei CTP synthetase: a new target for the treatment of African sleeping sickness Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98, 6412-6416
Teaching Interests
My teaching is mainly focussed on the MB/BS medical degree course. My teaching interests are in providing medical students with an understanding of the basic sciences, especially in Biochemistry. Another interest is the method of problem-based learning which I practise in my role as PBL tutor. In addition, I am interested in teaching presentation skills to undergraduates and postgraduates. Another area of teaching interests is to give lessons in Parasitology to Biology students.
Key Responsibilities
I am deputy lead for year 5, co-ordinator for the postgraduate module on presentation skills and responsible for year 1 Biochemistry SSS. In addition, I am member of exam boards and several committees. I am a student advisor, elective tutor and MB/BS interviewer.
External Activities
Activity / Indicator of Esteem |
Date / Year |
Additional Info |
Invited membership of the editorial board of the journal “Parasites & Vectors” |
since 2008 |
|
Invited membership of the editorial board of the journal “The Open Parasitology Journal” |
since 2007 |
|
Invited membership of the editorial board of the journal “Current Drug Target” |
1999-2001 |
|
Regular reviewer for high-impact journals |
since 2000 |
e.g. PLoS Pathog, Drug Discov Today, Mol Microbiol, J Med Chem, Antimicrob Agents Chemother |
Regular reviewer for national and international funding agencies |
since 2000 |
e.g. MRC, BBSRC, The Wellcome Trust, WHO/TDR, DFG, MRC South Africa, Swiss National Science Foundation, Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, Research Foundation Flanders |
Invitation to give a talk at the “BA Festival of Science”, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park and the City of Norwich, Norwich, UK |
25/09/2006 |
|
Invitation to give an inaugural address at the opening ceremony for the new degree courses „Biomedizinische Technik” and “Industrielle Biotechnologie”, University of Ansbach, Germany |
21/10/2009 |
|
Invitations to presents talks on the trypanosomal transferrin receptor and on antitrypanosomal drug screening and target evaluation |
since 1996 |
e.g. University of Heidelberg, University of Würzburg, University of Glasgow, University of Manchester, University of Umeå, University of California San Francisco |
Invitations to write review articles for journals and books |
Since 2000 |
e.g. Curr Drug Target, Biol unserer Zeit, Expert Opin Investig Drugs, Mini Rev Med Chem, Expert Opin Drug Discov, Adv Exp Med Biol |
Enterprise and Engagement activities | ||
Consultancy service for the Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Mission Hospital, Würzburg, Germany, on screening of compounds for trypanocidal activity |
since 2000 | |
Scientific Advisor for the "Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for a project to develop new diagnostic tools to support the control of human African trypanosomiasis |
2006 |
|
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Network
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Health for Dairy Cows
Hunter, P., Hooper, L., Steverding, D., Tyler, K. & Bouzid, M.
European Regional Development Fund
1/03/19 → 31/03/23
Project: Research
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Evaluation of the anti-cancer drug temozolomide for trypanocidal activity
John & Pamela Salter Charitable Trust (The)
1/11/15 → 31/10/16
Project: Research
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Gift Donation - The effects of gallium-transferrin on the growth of Trypanosoma brucei in cell culture
1/02/14 → 31/12/14
Project: Research
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Das Angiopoietin-ähnliche Protein 4 hemmt die Metastasenbildung
Steverding, D., 1 Jan 2023, In: Naturwissenschaftliche Rundschau. 76, p. 47-49 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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Neugeborene doch erst nach der Geburt mit Bakterien besiedelt
Steverding, D., 3 Mar 2023, (Accepted/In press) In: Naturwissenschaftliche Rundschau.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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Synthesis of urea and thiourea derivatives of C20-epi-aminosalinomycin and their activity against Trypanosoma brucei
Antoszczak, M., Gadsby-Davis, K., Steverding, D. & Huczyński, A., 15 Mar 2023, In: European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 250, 8 p., 115241.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Therapeutische Krebszellen zur Bekämpfung von Tumoren
Steverding, D., 2 Feb 2023, (Accepted/In press) In: Naturwissenschaftliche Rundschau. 76, p. 157-160 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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4‘-Fluoruridin: ein neuer oraler antiviraler Wirkstoff gegen Covid-19
Steverding, D., Feb 2022, In: Naturwissenschaftliche Rundschau. 75, p. 82-83 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open AccessFile
Activities
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Inaugural address at the opening ceremony for the new degree courses „Biomedizinische Technik” and “Industrielle Biotechnologie”, University of Ansbach
Dietmar Steverding (Invited speaker)
Oct 2009Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Other
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Parasites & Vectors (Journal)
Dietmar Steverding (Editorial board member)
2008 → …Activity: Editorial work › Publication editorial role
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The Open Parasitology Journal (Journal)
Dietmar Steverding (Editorial board member)
2007 → …Activity: Editorial work › Publication editorial role
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BA Festival of Science
Dietmar Steverding (Invited speaker)
Sep 2006Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Festival/Exhibition/Performance
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Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (External organisation)
Dietmar Steverding (Advisor)
2006Activity: Membership › Industry panel or group