Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohammad Yaser Abajy | Molecular Biology and Nanotechnology | Best Researcher Award
Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy at Arab University for Science and Technology, Syria
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohammad Yaser Abajy is an accomplished molecular biologist and biopharmaceutical researcher whose academic journey includes a PhD in Molecular Biology from the Technical University of Berlin (2003–2007) where he studied the type IV secretion-like (T4SLS) system in Enterococcus faecalis, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Karl-Franzens University, Graz (2007–2009) focused on the isolation, purification, and characterization of recombinant proteins of a bacterial Type IV secretion system. His foundational training began with a BSc in Pharmacy (industrial branch) from Aleppo University (1994–1999). In his academic career, he has designed and taught advanced courses in Molecular Biology, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, and Pharmaceutical Microbiology, while guiding and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. His research interests span recombinant protein expression and purification, bacterial genetics, pharmacogenetics, gene toxicity, biopharmaceutical compounds, and the discovery and evaluation of new herbal medicines. According to Google Scholar, he has an h-index of 11 and a total citation count nearing 600 (with 61 publications on ResearchGate, 458 citations reported). His publication record includes work on type IV secretion systems (e.g., TraG in pIP501 conjugative plasmid) PMC, antimicrobial/antioxidant studies of plant extracts, nanoparticle-based therapeutics, gene polymorphism analyses, pharmaceutical biotechnology textbooks, and investigational studies (e.g. Molecular diagnosis of cutaneous Leishmaniasis, anti-inflammatory actions of Cedrus libani and Pinus brutia). He has also been recognized with a 2022 patent for a natural gel derived from Cedrus libani and Pinus brutia, and earlier honors including “Best Researcher of the Year” from Aleppo University and the Bronze Medal at Al-Basil Exhibition for his Electronic Drug Reference (ESD) project. He remains active in scientific societies and continues to contribute to interdisciplinary research bridging biotechnology, pharmacology, microbiology, and herbal therapeutics.
Featured Publications
Abajy, M. Y., Kopec, J., Schiwon, K., Burzynski, M., Döring, M., Bohn, C., … Grohmann, E. (2007). A type IV-secretion-like system is required for conjugative DNA transport of broad-host-range plasmid pIP501 in gram-positive bacteria. Journal of Bacteriology, 189(6), 2487–2496.
Fortina, M. G., Ricci, G., Borgo, F., Manachini, P. L., Arends, K., Schiwon, K., … Grohmann, E. (2008). A survey on biotechnological potential and safety of the novel Enterococcus species of dairy origin, E. italicus. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 123(3), 204–211.
Arends, K., Celik, E. K., Probst, I., Goessweiner-Mohr, N., Fercher, C., Grumet, L., … Grohmann, E. (2013). TraG encoded by the pIP501 type IV secretion system is a two-domain peptidoglycan-degrading enzyme essential for conjugative transfer. Journal of Bacteriology, 195(19), 4436–4444.
Kurenbach, B., Kopec, J., Magdefrau, M., Andreas, K., Keller, W., Bohn, C., … Grohmann, E. (2006). The TraA relaxase autoregulates the putative type IV secretion-like system encoded by the broad-host-range Streptococcus agalactiae plasmid pIP501. Microbiology, 152(3), 637–645.
Karrat, L., Abajy, M. Y., & Nayal, R. (2022). Investigating the anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of leaves ethanolic extracts of Cedrus libani and Pinus brutia. Heliyon, 8(4), e09264.
Malik, J. A. (Ed.). (2022). Microbes and microbial biotechnology for green remediation. Elsevier.
Alheib, O., Kayali, R. A., & Abajy, M. Y. (2015). Prevalence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants among extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)-producing isolates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Journal of Chemotherapy, 27(5), 290–295.
Rangrez, A. Y., Abajy, M. Y., Keller, W., Shouche, Y., & Grohmann, E. (2010). Biochemical characterization of three putative ATPases from a new type IV secretion system of Aeromonas veronii plasmid pAC3249A. BMC Biochemistry, 11(1), 10.