Dr Saeideh Hajighasemi

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Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Saeideh is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Allergy Research Group at QUT CIIC, working within the Discovery and Repository Pillar of the National Allergy Centre of Excellence (NACE). She currently leads a project investigating researcher attitudes toward data sharing, aiming to improve health research data-sharing practices and inform the development of the NACE Allergy BioRepository (ALBI).

Saeideh’s PhD work focused on innate immune responses of human airway epithelial cells to subtropical and temperate grass pollen, providing insight to support region-specific allergy management. During this research, she developed a novel pollen aerosolization system that emulates inhalation to model aeroallergen exposure more realistically. This work received international recognition, and she was awarded an EAACI travel grant to give an oral presentation at the EAACI Congress (2025). Shortly after completing her PhD, she received an AIFA Viatris Early Career and New Researcher Grant to continue investigating pollen-induced effects on airway epithelial structure and function.
Saeideh holds a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology–Microbiology (2011) and a Master of Science in Medical Biotechnology (2016). Prior to joining the Allergy Research Group, she contributed to a project developing a biological pacemaker using gene- and cell-based approaches to correct sinoatrial node failure, building a strong publication record. She was awarded a QUT Postgraduate Research Award (QUTPRA – International) and QUT HDR Tuition Fee Sponsorship for her doctoral studies, and also received an offer for a University International Postgraduate Award (UIPA) from UNSW, Sydney.

Publications: 

  1. Gorabi AM*, Hajighasemi S*, Kiaie N, Hayat SM, Jamialahmadi T, Johnston TP, Sahebkar A. The pivotal role of CD69 in autoimmunity. Journal of autoimmunity. 2020 Jul 1;111:102453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaut.2020.102453 (* Equally contributed as the first author)
  2. Gorabi AM, Kiaie N, Hajighasemi S, Banach M, Penson PE, Jamialahmadi T, Sahebkar A. Statin-Induced Nitric Oxide Signaling: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications. Journal of clinical medicine. 2019 Dec;8(12):2051. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8122051
  3. Gorabi AM, Kiaie N*, Hajighasemi S*, Jamialahmadi T, Majeed M, Sahebkar A. The Effect of Curcumin on the Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Mesodermal Lineage. Molecules. 2019 Nov;7(22):4029.  https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24224029 (* Equally contributed)
  4. Gorabi AM*, Hajighasemi S*, Sathyapalan T, Sahebkar A. Cell transfer‐based immunotherapies in cancer: A review. IUBMB life. 2019 Oct 21. https://doi.org/10.1002/iub.2180 (* Equally contributed as the first author)
  5. Gorabi AM*, Hajighasemi S*, Kiaie N, Rosano GM, Sathyapalan T, Al-Rasadi K, Sahebkar A. Anti-fibrotic effects of curcumin and some of its analogues in the heart. Heart failure reviews. 2019 Sep 11:1-3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10741-019-09854-6 (* Equally contributed as the first author)
  6. Gorabi AM, Banach M, Reiner Ž, Pirro M, Hajighasemi S, Johnston TP., Sahebkar A. “The Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Atherosclerosis: Prospects for Therapy via the Modulation of Inflammatory Milieu”. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2019 Sep;8(9):1413. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8091413
  7. Hajighasemi S, Gorabi AM, Bianconi V, Pirro M, Banach M, Reiner Ž, et al. “A review of gene- and cell-based therapies for familial hypercholesterolemia”. Pharmacological Research. 2019 Mar 22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2019.03.016
  8. Gorabi AM, Hajighasemi S, Tafti HA, Atashi A, Soleimani M, Aghdami N, Saeid AK, Khori V, Panahi Y, Sahebkar A. “TBX18 transcription factor overexpression in human‐induced pluripotent stem cells increases their differentiation into pacemaker‐like cells”. Journal of cellular physiology. 2019 Feb;234 (2):1534-46.  https://doi.org/10.1002/jcp.27018
  9. Gorabi AM, Hajighasemi S, Khori V, Soleimani M, Rajaei M, Rabbani S, Atashi A, Ghiaseddin A, Saeid AK, Tafti HA, Sahebkar A. “Functional biological pacemaker generation by T-Box18 protein expression via stem cell and viral delivery approaches in a murine model of complete heart block”. Pharmacological research. 2019 Jan 21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2019.01.034
  10. Gorabi AM, Hajighasemi S, Tafti HA, Soleimani M, Panahi Y, Ganjali S, Sahebkar A. “Gene therapy in cardiovascular diseases: A review of recent updates”. Journal of cellular biochemistry. 2018 Dec;119 (12):9645-54.   https://doi.org/10.1002/jcb.27303
  11. Hjighasemi S, Azad M, Karimipoor M, Rahimi H, Foroughi F, et al. “Dual Effects of Omega -6, and -9 Fatty Acids on Ovarian Cancer Cell Viability and Their Ability to Induce Apoptosis”. Adv Proteomics Bioinform. 2018 May: APBI-106. DOI: 10.29011/APBI -106.100006.
  12. Hajighasemi S, Spann K, Davies J “Does pollen exposure influence innate immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in allergy or asthma?”.  Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2023 May 19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2023.05.008