American University of Beirut

Research Areas

• The Role of Sphingolipids in the Stress Response.
• The Role of Ceramide in the Inflammatory/Immune Response:
• Vaccine-preventable pediatric infectious diseases
• Primary immunodeficiency​
  

Research Project

Basic Research:

• The role of the sphingolipid ceramide in mediating apoptosis in the context of cancer chemotherapy and irradiation and its relationship to the tumor suppressor p53.
• The regulation of ceramide and other sphingolipids by viral infections and the regulation of viral replication by ceramides. The viruses studied include human papilloma virus, adenovirus, human T cell leukemia virus, and influenza virus.
• The adaptive role of dihydroceramide and dihydroceramide desaturase in chronic hypoxia.
• Modulation of cellular ceramide levels by cytokines and the regulation of the immune response by ceramide, especially, the effect on protein kinase C theta.
• Mechanisms of virulence of Streptococcus pneumonia and correlation with specific serotypes.
• Mechanisms of breakthrough infections in rotavirus-vaccinated children.
• Molecular mechanisms of primary immunodeficiency diseases.

Clinical Research:

• Vaccine and antiviral clinical trials.
• National surveillance program for invasive pneumococcal disease to determine serotypes, antimicrobial resistance, and other epidemiological characteristics.
• Multicenter surveillance for influenza infections to determine circulating types, antiviral resistance, and epidemiological characteristics.
• Epidemiology of rotavirus infections and determination of predominant genotypes.
• National epidemiology and serogroup determination of meningococcal infections.
• National Neonatal Screening Program for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (NaSPID) to determine the prevalence of severe combined immunodeficiency in Lebanon.
• Prevalence and mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance.

Selected Publications

• Khafaja S, Youssef N, El Zein Z, Boutros CF, Bou Karroum S, Abdel Halim N, Salameh R, Hodroj D, El Meski N, Nasrallah O, Bidikian A, Bou Saba G, Arabi MT, Hanna Wakim R, Dbaibo GS*. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and “Near MIS-C": A continuum? Frontiers in Pediatrics 10:988706 (2023).
• Reslan L, Youssef N, Boutros CF, Assaf-Ca​sals A, Fayad D, Khafaja S, Akl F, Finianos M, Rizk AA, Shaker R, Zaghlout A, Lteif M, El Hafi B, Moumneh MB, Feghali R, Ghanem S, Jisr T, Karayakoupoglou G, Naboulsi M, Hamze M, Samad S, Khoury E, Sarraf R, Osman M, Bou Raad E, El Amin H, Abadi I, Abdo H, Chedid M, Chamseddine F, Barakat A, Houmani M, Haddad A, Abdel Nour G, Mokhbat JE, Daoud Z, El-Zaatari M, Sokhn ES, Ghosn N, Ammar W, Hamadeh R, Matar GM, Araj GF, Dbaibo GS* for the Lebanese Inter-Hostpital Pneumococcal Surveillance Program investigators. The impact of vaccination on the burden of invasive pneumococcal disease from a nationwide surveillance program in Lebanon: An unexpected increase in mortality driven by non-vaccine serotypes. Expert Review of Vaccines 21(12): 1905-1921 (2022).
• Ghandour B, Darwiche N*, Dbaibo G*. The unfolding role of ceramide in coordinating retinoid-based cancer therapy. The Biochemical Journal 478(19): 3621-3642 (2021).
  
• Youssef Y, Chmaisse A, Boutros C, Chamseddine S, Fayad D, Zaraket H, and Dbaibo G*. The burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region across age groups: A systematic review. Vaccine 39(29):3803-3813 (2021).
• Reslan L, Finianos M, Bitar I*, Moumneh MB, Araj GF, Zaghlout A, Boutros C, Jisr T, Nabulsi M, Karayaccoub G, Hamze M, Osman M, Bou Raad E, Hrabak J, Matar GM, Dbaibo G*. The emergence of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 24F in Lebanon:  Complete genome sequencing reveals high virulence and antimicrobial resistance characteristics. Frontiers in Microbiology 12:637813 (2021).
• Ghandour B, Pisano C, Darwiche N*, Dbaibo G*. Restoration of ceramide de novo synthesis by the synthetic retinoid ST1926 as it induces adult T-cell leukemia cell death. Bioscience Reports 40(10): BSR20200050 (2020).
• Kobeissy H, Hage-Sleiman R, Dakdouk Z, Kozhaya L, and Dbaibo G*. Crosstalk between Noxa, Bcl-2 and ceramide in mediating p53-dependent apoptosis in Molt-4 human T-cell leukemia. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 475(1-2):215-226 (2020).
• Audi A, Soudani N, Dbaibo G*, and Zaraket H*. Depletion of host and viral sphingomyelin impairs influenza virus infection. Frontiers in Microbiology 11:612 (2020).
• Harastani HH, Reslan L, Sabra A, Ali Z, Hammadi M, Ghanem ST, Hajar F, Matar GM, Dbaibo G*, and Zaraket H*. Genetic diversity of Human Rotavirus A among hospitalized children under-five years in Lebanon. Frontiers in Immunology 11:317 (2020).
• Dbaibo G, Amanullah A, Claeys C, Izu A, Jain VK, Kosalaraksa P, Rivera L, Soni J, Yanni E, Zaman K, Acosta B, Ariza M, Arroba Basanta ML, Bavdekar A, Carmona A, Cousin L, Diaz A, Diez-Domingo J, Dinleyici EC, Faust SN, Garcia-Sicilia J, Gomez-Go GD, Gonzales MLA, Hacimustafaoglu M, Hughes SM, Jackowska T, Kant S, Lucero M, Mares Bermudez J, Martinón-Torres F, Montellano M, Prymula R, Puthanakit T, Ruzkova R, Sadowska-Krawczenko I, Szymanski H, Ulied A, Woo W, Schuind A, Innis BL; for the Flu4VEC Study Group. Quadrivalent influenza vaccine prevents illness and reduces healthcare utilization across diverse geographic regions during five influenza seasons: a randomized clinical trial. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 39(1):e1-e10 (2020).
• Soudani N, Hage-Sleiman R, Karam W, Dbaibo G*, and Zaraket H*. Ceramide suppresses influenza A virus replication in vitro. Journal of Virology 93(7): pii: e00053-19 (2019).
• Claeys C, Zaman K, Dbaibo G, Li P, Izu A, Kosalaraksa P, Rivera L, Acosta B, Arroba Basanta ML, Aziz A, Cabanero MA, Chandrashekaran V, Corsaro B, Cousin L, Diaz Cirujano A, Diez-Domingo J, Dinleyici EC, Faust SN, Friel D, Garcia-Sicilia J, Gomez-Go GD, Gonzales MLA, Hughes SM, Jackowska T, Kant S, Lucero M, Malvaux L, Mares Bermudez J, Martinon-Torres F, Miranda M, Montellano M, Peix Sambola MA, Prymula R, Puthanakit T, Ruzkova R, Sadowska-Krawczenko I, Salamanca de la Cueva I, Sokal E, Soni J, Szymanski H, Ulied A, Schuind A, Jain VK, Innis BL; for the Flu4VEC Study Group. Prevention of vaccine-matched and mismatched influenza in children 6–35 months of age: a multinational randomized trial across five influenza seasons. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health 2(5):338–349. (2018).​
• ​Genomic alterations in p53-dependent apoptosis induced by γ-irradiation of Molt-4 leukemia cells. Hage-Sleiman R, Bahmad H, Kobeissy H, Kobeissy F, and Dbaibo G. PLoS One 12(12): e0190221 (2017).
• Rotavirus Genotypes and Vaccine Effectiveness From a Sentinel, Hospital-based, Surveillance Study For Three Consecutive Rotavirus Seasons in Lebanon. Ali Z, Harastani H, Hammadi M, Reslan L, Ghanem S, Hajar F, Sabra A, Haidar A, Inati A, Rajab M, Fakhouri H, Ghanem B, Baasiri G, Gerbaka B, Zaraket H, Matar GM, and Dbaibo G. PLoS One 11(8):e0161345 (2016).
• Ceramide inhibits PKCq by regulating its phosphorylation and translocation to lipid rafts in Jurkat cells. Hage-Sleiman R, Hamze AB, El-Hed AF, Attieh R, Kozhaya L, Kabbani S, Dbaibo G. Immunologic Research 64(4):869-86 (2016).
• Vaccine prevention of mild and moderately severe influenza in children. Jain VK, Rivera L, Zaman K, Espos, Jr RA, Sirivichayakul C, Quiambao BP, Rivera-Medina DM, Kerdpanich P, Ceyhan M, Dinleyici EC, C​ravioto A, Yunus M, Chanthavanich P, Limkittikul K, Kurugol Z, Alhan E, Caplanusi A, Durviaux S, Boutet P, Ofori-Anyinam O, Chandrasekaran V, Dbaibo G (Corresponding author), and Innis BL. New England Journal of Medicine 369(26):2481-91 (2013). 
  
• ​Prospects and Challenges in the Introduction of Human Papillomavirus Vaccines in the Extended Middle East and North Africa Region.​Jumaan A, Ghanem S, Taher J, Braikat M, Al Awaidy S, and Dbaibo GS. Vaccine 31, supplement 6: G58-G64 (2013)