For the past three years, I have been doing my postdoctoral research under the supervision of Dr. Mor Nahum. During this time, I have participated in several research projects, including:

1. Major Depressive Disorder –  I developed a web app that allows participants to participate remotely in our research to examine the relationship between inhibitory control and depression (a) using an emotional Go / NoGo assessment [1]. (b) using ecological momentary assessment (EMA).

2. BLINK project - In this project, I was responsible for developing a web application from the characterization phase through secure development with high-security procedures to application testing, user management, and database maintenance. This web app is currently being piloted in kindergartens and allows kindergarteners to identify and care for children with challenging behaviors.

3. RUBI - Similar to the BLINK project, I was responsible for developing an app that allows caregivers to deliver remote training to parents of children with autism. We are currently starting the pilot.

4. In a study examining the effect of the corona epidemic on primary school teachers, I was responsible for writing the grant to the Chief Scientist's Office, collecting information from teachers through an app I developed, analyzing the data, and publishing a report on the Scientific Office's website [2].

In my previous postdoctoral studies in Prof. Ora Furman's bioinformatics labs, I researched protein-peptide complexes by developing an automated protocol for filtering the PDB (protein database) for peptide-protein complex structures and their free receptor counterparts. The AUTOpeptiDB database included advanced analytics and filtering techniques, making it an essential tool for studying peptide-protein interactions [3,4].

I did my Ph.D. at the Hebrew University, under the supervision of Prof. Charles Jaffe. In this project, using bioinformatics methods and mathematical analysis, I identify and characterize three new proteins that could be candidates for the vaccination against the Leishmania parasite.

Under the supervision of Prof. Charles Jaffe, my M.Sc studies focused on developing two in vitro methods for screening a large number of compounds that can inhibit the growth of the Leishmania parasite [7-9]. (I graduated summa cum laude and got the Rector’s Award for graduate students).

Research grants

משרד המדען הראשי - מענק מחקר מספר: 20.11/23

Publications

1. Shimony O, Einav N, Bonne O, Jordan JT, Van Vleet TM, Nahum M. The association between implicit and explicit affective inhibitory control, rumination and depressive symptoms. Sci Rep. 2021

2. שלומות, רווחה רגשית ומשאבי התמודדות בקרב צוותי הוראה בתקופת הקורונה

https://covid-research.education/corona-reviews/

3. Khramushin A, Marcu O, Alam N, Shimony O, Padhorny D, Brini E, Dill KA, Vajda S, Kozakov D, Schueler-Furman O. Modeling beta-sheet peptide-protein interactions: Rosetta FlexPepDock in CAPRI rounds 38-45. Proteins. 2020

4. Shimony O et al. AutoPeptiDB – curated, automatically updated database of peptide-protein complex structures to study protein-peptide interactions. Structural Bioinformatics. 2018 (in process).

5. Shimony O, Nagler A, Gellman YN, Refaeli E, Rosenblum N, Eshkar-Sebban L, Yerushalmi R, Shimoni A, Lytton SD, Stanevsky A, Or R, Naor D. Anti-T lymphocyte globulin ) induces generation of regulatory T cells, at least part of them expressed activated CD44. J Clin Immunol. 2012.

6. *Kahaly GJ, *Shimony O, Gellman YN, Lytton SD, Eshkar-Sebban L, Rosenblum N, Refaeli E, Kassem S, Ilany J, Naor D. Regulatory T-cells in Graves' orbitopathy: baseline findings and immunomodulation by anti- T lymphocyte globulin. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011.

7. Shimony O, Jaffe CL. Rapid fluorescent assay for screening drugs on Leishmania amastigotes. J Microbiol Methods. 2008.

8. Reichwald C, Shimony O, Sacerdoti-Sierra N, Jaffe CL, Kunick C. A new Heck reaction modification using ketone Mannich bases as enone precursors: parallel synthesis of anti leishmanial chalcones. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2008.

9. *Reichwald C., *Shimony O, Dunkel U, Sacerdoti-Sierra N, Jaffe CL, Kunick C.  2- (3-Aryl-3-oxopropen-1-yl) -9-tert-butyl-paullones: A New Anti-Leishmanial Chemotype. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2008.

* Both authors contributed equally to this paper.

Patent

2- (3-Aryl-3-oxopropen-1-yl) -9-tert-butyl-paullones: A new anti-leishmanial chemotype. Jaffe CL, Kunick C, Shimon O, Reichwald C and Dunkel U. US Provisional application NO. 60 / 950,394, filed 18/07/2007