Dr Amos Olalekan Abolaji
AfOx Fellow 2018
Research
Certain environmental contaminants are known to predispose to different human diseases. Dr. Abolaji is currently working on the mechanisms by which these toxicants contribute to neurodegenerative diseases and female reproductive dysfunctions using Drosophila melanogaster and rodents as models. The detection of health risks associated with these toxins will ultimately aid in the design of concepts for prevention and possible therapy.
In 2014, after a postdoctoral training at the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, Dr Abolaji set up Drosophila laboratory at the University of Ibadan from scratch. The laboratory is currently well-equipped with state of the art equipment and collaborates with scientists around the world.
After the Africa-Oxford Initiative Fellowship in 2018, Dr Abolaji founded Drosophila Research and Training Centre (DRTC, www.drosophilartc.org) in Ibadan, Nigeria as a non-profit organization to facilitate the use of Drosophila as a cost-effective, alternative animal model for biomedical research and training in sub–Saharan African countries.