Dr. Noureddine Ben Khalaf
Dr. Noureddine Ben Khalaf
Bio
Academic Background
Research Interests
Selected Publications
Bio
Dr. Ben Khalaf is an Associate Professor in the Molecular Medicine Department at the College of medicine and Health Sciences, Arabian Gulf University. With over 20 years of expertise in translational research and health biotechnology, Dr. Ben Khalaf has made substantial contributions to drug discovery for infectious and inflammatory diseases. In 2009, he was invited to the University of California, San Francisco, to work at the Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases and the Small Molecules Discovery Center. Following his Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 2012, he joined Arabian Gulf University where he served as Assistant Professor and then as Vice-Dean for Research and Innovation at the College of Graduate Studies. His research interests include computational and molecular approaches to translational research. Dr. Ben Khalaf has published numerous papers and supervised multiple theses, reflecting his dedication to advancing health biotechnology and fostering innovation in therapeutic development.
Academic Background
• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Tunis-Carthage University, 2012
• M.Sc. in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Tunis-AlManar, 2006
• B.Sc. in Biotechnology, National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, 2024
Research Interests
• Computational Drug Discovery, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease
• Target-Based Screening; Biomarker Identification; Protein Folding and Engineering
• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Computational Biology, Pharmacology and Drug Discovery; Research Methodology and Scientific Writing
Selected Publications
1. AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study. Nature Scientific Reports, 14, 7526 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54655-z
2. Ben Khalaf, N., Pham, S., Romeo, G. et al. A computer-aided approach to identify novel Leishmania major protein disulfide isomerase inhibitors for treatment of leishmaniasis. J Comput Aided Mol Des 35, 297–314 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10822-021-00374-w
3. Ben Khalaf. N., Al-Μehatab, D., Fathallah, D. M. Vascular endothelial ERp72 is involved in the inflammatory response in a rat model of skeletal muscle injury”. Molecular Medicine Reports 23, no. 3 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2021.11825.
4. Ben Khalaf N, Taha S, Bakhiet M, Fathallah MD A Central Nervous System-Dependent Intron-Embedded Gene Encodes a Novel Murine Fyn Binding Protein. PLOS ONE 11(2) (2016) : https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0149612
5. Ben Khalaf, N., De Muylder, G., Louzir, H. et al. Leishmania major protein disulfide isomerase as a drug target. Parasitol Res 110, 1911–1917 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2717-5