Rate My Professor Shafiq Syed

Dr Shafiq Syed is a lecturer in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He earned a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (B.V.Sc), a Master of Veterinary Science in Biotechnology (M.V.Sc), and a PhD from the University of Newcastle, where his thesis examined endometrial stem/progenitor cells in endometrial regeneration, carcinogenesis, and aging. Syed's research centers on gynaecological cancers, with a focus on endometrial cancer and the molecular pathways regulating the female reproductive tract's normal function and disease pathogenesis. As part of Associate Professor Pradeep Tanwar's team at the Hunter Medical Research Institute, he contributed to pinpointing Axin2+ stem cells as the primary drivers of endometrial epithelial regeneration after menstruation and the originating cells for endometrial cancer upon dysregulation. This breakthrough, resolving a longstanding mystery and published in Cell Stem Cell, holds promise for treatments targeting endometrial cancer, endometriosis, and infertility issues.

Syed has obtained significant competitive funding, including a $662,040 NHMRC Investigator Grant in 2023 for 'Dietary and metabolic control of Axin2+ stem cells in endometrial physiology and cancer,' investigating obesity and high-fat diet effects on these cells to uncover metabolic targets for preventing cancer initiation amid rising endometrial cancer deaths linked to obesity. He also secured a Cure Cancer grant in 2023 as one of four early-career researchers from the University. Notable publications encompass 'Cell lineage tracing identifies hormone-regulated and Wnt-responsive vaginal epithelial stem cells' (2020), 'Axin2+ endometrial stem cells: the source of endometrial regeneration and cancer' (2020), 'Protocol for In Vitro Establishment and Long-Term Culture of Mouse Vaginal Organoids' (2020), 'Proteomic and functional characterization of intra-tumor heterogeneity in human endometrial cancer' (2022), and 'Proteomic Analysis of Stromal and Epithelial Cell Communications in Human Endometrial Cancer Using a Unique 3D Co-Culture Model' (2022). Additionally, Syed coordinates the Cancer Biology and Oncology course and co-supervises honours theses on Wnt-mediated epithelial-stromal crosstalk and diet-obesity-endometrial cancer links, advancing dietary strategies and therapeutic innovations.