Dr. Ilir Sheraj | Western Balkans University
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Dr. Ilir Sheraj

Lecturer
Department of Computer Sciences
Faculty of Economics, Technology and Innovation
Bio
Education
Publications
Dr. Ilir Sheraj earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Middle East Technical University (METU), where he focused on understanding the rewiring of cancer metabolism using bioinformatics tools and machine learning. This work marked the beginning of his professional journey in bioinformatics and computational biology. After graduating, Dr. Sheraj continued at METU as a postdoctoral researcher before joining Western Balkans University (WBU) as a lecturer in Biotechnology and Biostatistics. He then moved to Spain to work at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) as a bioinformatician, where he specialized in handling, processing, and analyzing Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) data to understand tumor metabolism, fostering collaborations with research groups both in Spain and internationally. Currently, Dr. Sheraj is once again a lecturer at WBU, teaching Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Omics Technologies. As an expert in big data analysis, he also freelances, applying advanced Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning techniques to complex biological datasets. His interdisciplinary expertise focuses on integrating ML applications within omics data and clinical contexts, aiming to unlock new insights and advancements in personalized medicine. Dr. Sheraj is a firm believer in the power of data, advocating that our ability to understand and cure diseases hinges on our capacity to extract meaningful insights from biological and clinical data. He emphasizes the importance of equipping students with the skills to use, improve, and invent new algorithms, viewing this as key to advancing the field.
  • Middle East Technical University: Bsc, Hons (2011)
  • Middle East Technical University: Msc, Hons (2014)
  • Middle East Technical University: PhD, Hons (2021)
  1. Tunçer,S., Gurbanov, R., Sheraj, I., Solel, E., Esenturk, O., Banerjee, S. (2018). Low dose dimethyl sulfoxide driven gross molecular changes have the potential to interfere with various cellular processes. Scientific reports 8 (1), 14828.
  2. Torun,A., Enayat,S., Sheraj,I., Tunçer,S., Ülgen, DH., Banerjee, S. (2019). Butyrate mediated regulation of RNA binding proteins in the post-transcriptional regulation of inflammatory gene expression. Cellular Signaling 64, 109410.
  3. Tunçer,S., Sade‐Memişoğlu,A., Keşküş, AG., Sheraj,I., Güner,G., Akyol,A., Banerjee, S. (2019). Enhanced expression of HNF4α during intestinal epithelial differentiation is involved in the activation of ER stress. The FEBS Journal.
  4. Demirkol, SC., Seza, EG., Sheraj, I., et al. (2020). Evaluation of an aldo-keto reductase gene signature with prognostic significance in colon cancer via activation of epithelial to mesenchymal transition and the p70S6K pathway. Carcinogenesis, 41.
  5. Sheraj, I., Guray, TN., Banerjee, S. (2021). A pan-cancer transcriptomic study showing tumor specific alterations in central metabolism. Sci Rep 11,13637.
  6. Huebner,K., Erlenbach-Wuensch,K, Prochazka,J., Sheraj,I. et al.(2022). ATF2 loss promotes tumor invasion in colorectal cancer cells via upregulation of cancer driver TROP2. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences.
  7. Ulusan,S., Sheraj,I., Stehling,S., Ivanov,I., Das,A., Kühn,H., Banerjee,S. (2022). Structural and functional evaluation of mammalian and plant lipoxygenases upon association with nanodiscs as membrane mimetics. Biophysical Chemistry.
  8. Pastorino,G., Sheraj,I. Huebner,K., et al (2024). A partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition signature for highly aggressive colorectal cancer cells that survive under nutrient restriction. The Journal of Pathology
  9. Gulec,E. et al. (2023). Nutrient depletion leads to major rewiring of endo-lysosomal signaling to enhance survival of cancer cells and drug resistance (Transport - Under review).
  10. Ghose et al. (2023). Mitochondria-derived nuclear ATP surge protects against confinement-induced proliferation defects (Under Review)
  11. Tiberti et al. (2024). Palmitate-induced mitochondrial damage restricts histone acetylation in CD8+ T cells to impair anti-tumor immunity. (Science Immunology – Under Review)