About
I was appointed to a lecturing post at Sheffield Hallam University in 2017 after having completed a number of postdoctoral research projects at University of Manchester, University of Glasgow and Queen Mary University of London.
I hold a PhD jointly awarded by EMBL and Heidelberg University for a project focused on epigenetic regulation of HOX genes.
Teaching
Department of Biosciences and Chemistry
College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences
I teach a range of subjects in the Department of Biosciences and Chemistry including core modules in first and second year curriculum on all our bio-strand courses. I am leading on Genes to Proteins, Biochemistry in Action module -- an integral part of the BSc Hons Biomedical Sciences course.
Research
My current research is focused on understanding how dynamical changes in cell nucleus can be exploited to improve treatment of cancer patients.
In one of my recent projects I worked with my collaborators in Ulm, Cologne and London to identify a novel marker in Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) prognosis. CLL is the type of blood cancer that mainly affects elderly patients. It is the most common leukaemia diagnosis in the western world and is a condition that in most cases cannot be cured.
Therefore, there is a clear need for better understanding of this disease so that we can develop better therapies. Also, scientists and clinicians know that CLL patients respond differently to available treatments so any information on how to personalise treatment regimens is of great value.
The aim of my current research programme is to test whether our discovery can be exploited to understand differences in responses to the most novel drugs used in the treatment of CLL.
Due to my ongoing scientific collaborations I also hold a title of Visiting Lecturer at the Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London.
Publications
Journal articles
Fagnano, E., Pendharkar, S., Colton, M., Jones, P.N., Sallan, M.C., Klymenko, T., ... Illidge, T.M. (2023). Stromal cell inhibition of anti-CD20 antibody mediated killing of B-cell malignancies. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 11. http://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2023.1270398
Bloehdorn, J., Braun, A., Taylor-Weiner, A., Jebaraj, B.M.C., Robrecht, S., Krzykalla, J., ... Mertens, D. (2021). Multi-platform profiling characterizes molecular subgroups and resistance networks in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Nature Communications, 12 (1). http://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25403-y
Edelmann, J., Dokal, A.D., Vilventhraraja, E., Holzmann, K., Britton, D., Klymenko, T., ... Gribben, J.G. (2021). Rituximab and obinutuzumab differentially hijack the B-cell receptor and NOTCH1 signaling pathways. iScience, 24 (2), 102089. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.102089
Jerome, H., Taylor, C., Sreenu, V.B., Klymenko, T., Filipe, A.D.S., Jackson, C., ... Thomson, E.C. (2019). Metagenomic next-generation sequencing aids the diagnosis of viral infections in febrile returning travellers. Journal of Infection. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2019.08.003
Klymenko, T., Bloehdorn, J., Bahlo, J., Robrecht, S., Akylzhanova, G., Cox, K., ... Braun, A. (2018). Lamin B1 regulates somatic mutations and progression of B-cell malignancies. Leukemia, 32 (2), 364-375. http://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2017.255
Klymenko, T., Gu, Q., Herbert, I., Stevenson, A., Iliev, V., Watkins, G., ... Graham, S.V. (2017). RNASeq analysis of differentiated keratinocytes reveals a massive response to late events during human papillomavirus type 16 infection, including loss of epithelial barrier function. Journal of Virology, JVI.01001-17. http://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01001-17
Klymenko, T., Hernandez-Lopez, H., MacDonald, A.I., Bodily, J.M., Graham, S.V., & Beemon, K.L. (2016). Human papillomavirus E2 regulates SRSF3 (SRp20) to promote capsid protein expression in infected differentiated keratinocytes. Journal of Virology, 90 (10), 5047-5058. http://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.03073-15
Leggewie, M., Sreenu, V.B., Abdelrahman, T., Leitch, E.C.M., Wilkie, G.S., Klymenko, T., ... Thomson, E.C. (2013). Natural NS3 resistance polymorphisms occur frequently prior to treatment in HIV-positive patients with acute hepatitis C. AIDS (London, England), 27 (15), 2485-2488. http://doi.org/10.1097/qad.0b013e328363b1f9
Klymenko, T., Brandenburg, M., Morrow, C., Dive, C., & Makin, G. (2011). The novel Bcl-2 inhibitor ABT-737 is more effective in hypoxia and is able to reverse hypoxia-induced drug resistance in neuroblastoma cells. Molecular cancer therapeutics, 10 (12), 2373-2383. http://doi.org/10.1158/1535-7163.mct-11-0326
Friberg, A., Oddone, A., Klymenko, T., Müller, J., & Sattler, M. (2010). Structure of an atypical Tudor domain in the Drosophila Polycomblike protein. Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society, 19 (10), 1906-1916. http://doi.org/10.1002/pro.476
Salmina, K., Jankevics, E., Huna, A., Perminov, D., Radovica, I., Klymenko, T., ... Erenpreisa, J. (2010). Up-regulation of the embryonic self-renewal network through reversible polyploidy in irradiated p53-mutant tumour cells. Experimental cell research, 316 (13), 2099-2112. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.yexcr.2010.04.030
Gorbenko, O., Ovcharenko, G., Klymenko, T., Zhyvoloup, O., Gaman, N., Volkova, D., ... Filonenko, V. (2009). Generation of monoclonal antibody targeting fibroblast growth factor receptor 3. Hybridoma (2005), 28 (4), 295-300. http://doi.org/10.1089/hyb.2009.0018
Ivanov, A., Beers, S.A., Walshe, C.A., Honeychurch, J., Alduaij, W., Cox, K.L., ... Cragg, M.S. (2009). Monoclonal antibodies directed to CD20 and HLA-DR can elicit homotypic adhesion followed by lysosome-mediated cell death in human lymphoma and leukemia cells. The Journal of clinical investigation, 119 (8), 2143-2159. http://doi.org/10.1172/jci37884
Hussein, D., Holt, S.V., Brookes, K.E., Klymenko, T., Adamski, J.K., Hogg, A., ... Makin, G.W.J. (2009). Preclinical efficacy of the bioreductive alkylating agent RH1 against paediatric tumours. British journal of cancer, 101 (1), 55-63. http://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6605100
Nekrasov, M., Klymenko, T., Fraterman, S., Papp, B., Oktaba, K., Köcher, T., ... Müller, J. (2007). Pcl-PRC2 is needed to generate high levels of H3-K27 trimethylation at Polycomb target genes. The EMBO journal, 26 (18), 4078-4088. http://doi.org/10.1038/sj.emboj.7601837
Klymenko, T., Papp, B., Fischle, W., Köcher, T., Schelder, M., Fritsch, C., ... Müller, J. (2006). A Polycomb group protein complex with sequence-specific DNA-binding and selective methyl-lysine-binding activities. Genes & development, 20 (9), 1110-1122. http://doi.org/10.1101/gad.377406
Klymenko, T., & Müller, J. (2004). The histone methyltransferases Trithorax and Ash1 prevent transcriptional silencing by Polycomb group proteins. EMBO reports, 5 (4), 373-377. http://doi.org/10.1038/sj.embor.7400111
Herold, A., Klymenko, T., & Izaurralde, E. (2001). NXF1/p15 heterodimers are essential for mRNA nuclear export in Drosophila. RNA (New York, N.Y.), 7 (12), 1768-1780.
Conference papers
Bloehdorn, J., Braun, A., Jebaraj, B.M.C., Taylor-Weiner, A., Robrecht, S., Krzykalla, J., ... Mertens, D. (2020). Multiplatform Profiling Characterizes Functional Networks in Genomically Stable and Instable Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia [abstract only]. Blood, 136, 12-13. http://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2020-141552
Edelmann, J., Lu, C., Klymenko, T., Vilventhraraja, E., Estenfelder, S., Tausch, E., ... Beers, S. (2017). p.P2514fs mutant NOTCH1 has longer lasting transcription factor activity due to slower inactivation and degradation. LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA, 58, 67-68.
Klymenko, T., Bloehdorn, J., Bahlo, J., Robrecht, S., Wang, J., Fischer, K., ... Braun, A. (2017). NUCLEAR LAMINA REGULATES SOMATIC HYPERMUTATION AND PROGRESSION OF B CELL MALIGNANCIES. HAEMATOLOGICA, 102, 228.
Vilventhraraja, E., Klymenko, T., Edelmann, J., Gribben, J., & Ivanov, A. (2016). Reduction of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential Leads to Enhancement of Type-II CD20-Antibody Cytotoxicity in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. Blood, 128 (22), 1763. http://doi.org/10.1182/blood.v128.22.1763.1763
Devine, K., Harder, L., Al Otaibi, S., Abdelrahman, T., Klymenko, T., Main, J., & Thomson, E. (2014). Deep sequencing shows that HIV patients co-infected with acute hepatitis C harbour additional viruses that may cause hepatitis. HIV MEDICINE, 15, 139.
Klymenko, T., & Graham, S.V. (2012). Human papillomavirus gene expression is controlled by host cell splicing factors. Biochemical Society transactions, 40 (4), 773-777. http://doi.org/10.1042/bst20120079
Postgraduate supervision
- MSc projects in Haemato-oncology .
- PhD projects on role of the nuclear lamina proteins in cell nucleus dynamics in blood cancer models.