July 2022
Hylemariam Mihiretie Mengist is our July Ambassador of the Month. Hylemariam is Ethiopian, where he graduated from Haramaya University with a BSc Medical Laboratory Technology and then received a MSc from Addis Ababa University in Clinical Laboratory Science (Diagnostic & Public Health Microbiology) in 2014. He since been involved in teaching, research, community service and clinical service in Ethiopian Universities. He has published more than twenty-five research and review articles in peer reviewed journals. In 2018, he joined the research group of Professor Jin Tengchuan (University of Science and Technology China) to pursue a PhD. degree in biochemistry & molecular biology (structural immunology). Hylemariam has been involved in research in immunovirology and SARS-CoV-2. He is currently an Assistant Professor of microbiology in the department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Debre Markos University, Ethiopia.
Recent Publications:
- Mengist HM, Kombe Kombe AJ, Jin T. Immune evasion by the highly mutated SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Varian. Accepted on May 12, 2022, in Infection and Drug resistance.
- Khalid Z, Chen Y, Yu D, Abbas A, Huan M, Naz Z, Mengist HM, Cao MJ, Jin T (2022). IgNAR antibody: Structural features, diversity and applications. Fish & Shellfish Immunology, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsi.2022.01.027
- Mengist HM, Kombe Kombe AJ, Mekonnen D, Abebaw A, Getachew M, Jin T. Mutations of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein: Implications on immune evasion and vaccine-induced immunity, Seminars in Immunology, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smim.2021.101533
Research Interests:
I am passionate about immunology, biochemistry and molecular biology research. My research interests span over pathogenesis, host-pathogen interaction, drug resistance, immune evasion, vaccine, and drug design. I intend to apply immunological, molecular biology, biochemical and biophysical tools to decipher the comprehensive pathogenesis, diagnosis and immunotherapeutics of diseases. More specifically, I am interested in viral immunology.
Why I love immunology:
I love immunology too much. Immunology is a very complex subject and the gear of host-pathogen interaction studies. The best arsenal to fight against diseases is deep understanding of the immune system. However, studying immunology is quite challenging and I love it because I like a challenge.
If I wasn’t an immunologist I would be:
I would be a biomedical engineer working on designing efficient drug delivery mechanisms in the field of nanomedicine. In other words, I would help immunological therapies be successfully delivered to their targets…ha-ha…still around immunology.
Tips for young people who want to enter the field of immunology:
I advise young individuals fascinated by immunology to be hard working, resilient, dynamic, and patient. Immunology is a multidisciplinary science covering a wide range of professions; therefore, a basic knowledge of biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, physiology, and other basic sciences are needed. Hard work is at the core here.
What being an Immunopaedia Ambassador means to me:
There is nothing that makes me happier than promoting one’s profession. Being an Immunopaedia ambassador is promoting my profession, which I love. It is about proving my love to immunology, attracting others to the field, and advancing the field.
How I have contributed to Immunopaedia so far and plans for future contributions
I have written a breaking news article. I plan to actively participate in the future by interviewing renown immunologists, writing article summaries, promoting Immunopaedia and inviting young immunologists to join this platform.
You can get in touch with me by:
LinkedIn: Hylemariam Mihiretie Mengist
ResearchGate: Hylemariam Mihiretie Mengist