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 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.

• 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

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

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.

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.