Employing institution: Kwara State University Malete
Host institution: University of Westminster
Project title:
Accessing advanced skills and technologies to support drug development against the parasitic nematode Wuchereria bancrofti.
Dr Sulyman is a Lecturer and Researcher in the Department of Biochemistry, Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Nigeria. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Ilorin, and has applied his expertise in enzymology, synthetic biology and natural products to diseases such as cancer, diabetes and malaria and studies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AREF Fellowship research project
Lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis, affects over 50 million people globally, mainly due to the parasitic worm Wuchereria bancrofti. Existing treatments target the worm’s offspring but are ineffective against the adult worm, which can live for 6-8 years, and drug resistance is a growing concern. The fellowship will train him in advanced technologies for new drug development against the adult parasite. He will focus on bioinformatic analysis to identify drug targets, artificial intelligence to predict protein structures and virtual screening to identify potential inhibitors. He will also test these inhibitors in a C. elegans CRISPR gene edited system. In the future, he hopes to develop and lead a drug discovery programme that will make a meaningful impact on healthcare in Africa. During the AREF fellowship, Dr Abdulhakeem will acquire advanced skills in bioinformatics, drug discovery, applications of AI and hands-on experience of working with nematodes. His home institution (KWASU) will support me after the fellowship by providing an enabling environment through access to research facilities, equipment and resources. He will transfer my knowledge and new skills to researchers at KWASU and across Africa, develop new partnerships and apply for larger grants to sustain my development and the research project.
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“This fellowship will enhance my drug discovery expertise and will enable my future research focus on tackling neglected tropical diseases in Africa.”
Dr Abdulhakeem expects to start her fellowship in October 2024