Prof. Omodele IBRAHEEM

Biography

I Omodele IBRAHEEM, I am a Full Professor of Plant Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the Department of Biochemistry, and Director, FUOYE Biotechnology Centre, Federal University Oye Ekiti. I have over 20 years of professional experience encompassing University teaching and research. My research interests are enzymes biotechnology, phytomedicine, plant stress and signalling responses, bioplastic; polyhydroxyalkanoates production (using renewable agricultural, municipal and industrial wastes), biofuel (from grains and natural sources), screening of essential polysaccharides from aquatic bodies for industrial applications, Green synthesis of non-cytotoxic metallo-nanoparticles, and exploiting the inherent biological and nutritional potentials in underutilized legumes after physico-chemical/microbial treatments toward mitigating malnutrition and enhancing good health.

Research Interests

1. ENZYME BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH
This involves isolation and characterization of enzymes of medical/industrial uses. Information obtained from the biochemistry and mechanistic properties of these enzymes may be exploited as a target for rational design of new technologies to alleviate difficulties previously associated with their medical/industrial applications.
2. PHYTOMEDICINE RESEARCH
This involves screening for bioactive phytochemicals from traditional medicinal plants used by natives for treatment of ailments. Evaluation of the biological activities of these phytochemicals will provide the scientific base for the therapeutic effects on human, and information could be further exploited in design of synthetic drugs which possibly will confer same/similar effects on human.

3. PLANT STRESS RESPONSE RESEARCH
This involves cell and molecular biology applications on effect of environmental stress on economic crops. The understanding of the molecular mechanisms essential to these plants stress responses at cellular level will aid the selection and development of sustainable crops with increased tolerance to abiotic and biotic environmental stresses.

4. BIOFUEL RESEARCH
This involves:
(a) Sweet Sorghum cultivation and bioprocessing to GNS bioethanol for medical, pharmaceutical and industrial uses.
(b) Isolation and screening of potential ethanologenic organisms (such as bacteria, fungi or algae) from extreme environments
(c) Their potential to degrade various carbon substrates (with special emphasis on lignocellulose)
(d) Understanding the molecular and physiological adaptation mechanisms employed by these ethanologenic organisms to fermentation challenges such as sensitivity/tolerance to high temperature, low pH, organic by-product, inhibitory compounds. These will provide information on the cellular metabolic restructuring that could occur during these fermentation phases, thus aid in the engineering of stress tolerant strains with enhance fermentation efficiencies, which in turn will reduce the over dependence of food-crop based bioethanol production
(e) Assessing the potentials of other carbon supplies (aside from maize and sugar cane predominantly used in Bioethanol generation; such as wastes or bagasses from agricultural products like cassava, sorghum, millet, banana, etc) as source of feedstock for bioethanol production

5. BIOPLASTIC RESEARCH
This focuses on the potential production of microbial Polyhydroxyalkanoates [PHAs; 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB), 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) and 4-hydroxybutyrate (4HB)] using agricultural, industrial and municipal wastes as a carbon source. PHAs are regard as a green polymer because they are biodegradable, biocompatible and compostable.

They are currently been used in production of a wide range of food packaging materials and high value medical supplies. However their cost of production as compared to conventional petrochemical plastics is high. Therefore the use of microbes in the production of PHAs from renewable and cheap carbon sources cannot be overemphasized.

The research will involve isolation and characterization of potential microbes from nature that can utilize wastes as carbon source, be an excellent producer of PHAs and also viable for industrial applications.

6. NIGERIA BROWN SEAWEEDS ALGINATE RESEARCH
A pilot scheme for extraction of alginate from Nigeria shore lines brown seaweeds, towards its commercial production for industrial uses.

Alginates are polysaccharides of β-D mannuronic acid and α-L guluronic acid units with various derivatives of Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, NH4+, Polyglycol, occur at varying amounts in different Sea weeds. Alginates are components of cell walls and intercellular matrices of these algae and it serves to maintain cell integrity, prevent desiccation, provide mechanical strength and flexibility and ion-exchange functions.

Alginate production demand is currently increasing as many industries such as food, cosmetics, textile, paper, biotechnology, health and pharmaceuticals depends hugely on its application.

Seaweeds are available in large quantities along the Nigeria shorelines where they block Ships easy access to the coast; constituting great disturbance and nuisance. Thus Nigeria can exploit these huge resources towards alginate production for industrial uses.

7. PLANT - NANOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH
Green synthesis of non-cytotoxic metallo (such as Zn2+, Se2+, Ch2+, Mn2+ Au+, Ag+ etc) nanoparticles. These are actualized by coupling these metals with organic extracts obtained from already established medicinal plants. The molecular and structural characterization of these nanoparticles will be done. The biological effects these nanoparticles will confer will be determined and these will also be compared with the crude / purified extracts to establish the efficacy of these nanoparticles. Furthermore, the molecular and cellular mechanistic actions of these nanoparticles will also be determined.

8. UNDERUTILIZED LEGUMES RESEARCH
Exploiting the inherent biological and nutritional potentials in underutilized legumes after physico-chemical / microbial treatments toward mitigating malnutrition and enhancing good health. Legumes are food crops that are highly rich in proteins and amino acids, vitamins and mineral contents, with few carbohydrates. They are regarded as one of the functional foods due to appreciable amount of phytonutrients inherent in them and which have been implicated in the management of many diseases associated with human. Underutilized legumes are term underutilized owe to the fact that they are not universally cultivated nor eating by a large number of people. They are mostly cultivated within a particular region, and owe to their innate mechanisms; they are highly tolerant to numerous harsh weather conditions. Consequently, these legumes have served essential in use in many traditional medicines as its belief that when eating they can pass such valuable qualities unto human. Physico-chemical and microbial treatments have shown to potentially further increase the nutritional contents and qualities of these legumes as many macromolecules are broken down into simpler condiments that can easily be absorbed by human body.

Qualifications

Professional Qualification

Awards

Grants

Membership of Professional Bodies

Paper Presentation - Local

Paper Presentation - International

Postgraduate Ph.D Supervision

Postgraduate M.Sc Supervision

Course Teaching

Professional Skill

Selected Publications