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From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
Nigerian science prodigy, Tony Okeke is in the news again as he has been selected by a Washington DC, United State of America (USA)-based nonprofit organization, Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) Genetic Toxicology Technical Committee (GTTC), as a GTTC Professional Development: 2023 Award Winner.
This is coming barely four months after the 2018 NNPC National Science Quiz Champion, led a team of six international students in USA (five Nigerians and one Indian) to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Medical Assistance App, they named Meddibia, which was among the projects that won at the Philly Codefest 2023.
The organization, HESI, has a mission to collaboratively identify and help to resolve global health and environmental challenges through the engagement of scientists from academia, government, industry, clinical practice, research institutes, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
Okeke as a winner of the award will receive fund and be afforded the opportunity to attend relevant scientific conferences, workshops, training courses, etc to build core competences and transferable skills and or share their research, and be availed with other related opportunity that contributes to professional development.
The award also provides him the opportunity to join the HESI community to learn about the emerging projects and science at HESI. It is also an open invitation for the young science sensation, Tony, to attend the 2024 GTTC Annual Meeting to learn about current GTTC projects and network with, and gain insight from, experts in the genetic toxicology field.
According to HESI, Okeke was given the award in recognition of his strides in the last four years of his study as a Biomedical Engineering student in Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Maybe, his interesting profile is better captured by a look at his internships with some institutions in the US. His first internship was with the ivy league, University of Pennsylvania, UPENN. Subsequent internships have been with the multinational Pharmaceutical giant, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Collegeville, PA, USA, where he is referred to as one of the most impressive students they have encountered in the past two decades.
And as an international student from Nigeria pursuing a joint MS/BS degree in Biomedical Engineering with a Concentration in Bioinformatics (MS) and Neuroengineering (BS) respectively with a 4.0 GPA, Tony is said to be well deserving of the GTTC Award as it will provide him with professional development opportunities that he would, otherwise, not be able to participate in as a student.
As an intern working in the GSK lab from the Spring of 2022, he had a major impact in the application and advancement of data analysis related to genomics and through his work at GSK, his enthusiastic engagement with GSK scientists, his bright personality and most importantly, his scientific curiosity are said to have been remarkable.
Okeke, upon joining GSK, as an intern, quickly jumped into ongoing research studies where he learned a variety of new applications for his skill sets and because of his enthusiasm for research and skills in helping to advance GSK data science, he was invited back for a second internship in the laboratory.
Speaking about him, a close source said, “Tony’s enthusiasm continues to this day – he spends his downtime pursuing research and learning about new bioinformatic and analytical skills that could apply to research. Not surprisingly, Tony has been
co-author on several publications to date based on his internships and through his schooling as well as multiple abstracts at scientific meetings. This dedication to his laboratory research is unmatched by other students we have had the pleasure of mentoring in the past – and it is even more impressive when one recognizes that he is an international student from Nigeria, an underdeveloped country, and continues to have a 4.0 GPA while so engaged in research.”
Tony’s research focuses on everaging bioinformatics and computational methods to investigate molecular mechanisms related to identifying and predicting potential safety concerns in the various areas across drug development which includes, but not limited to, genotoxicity, immunotoxicology, cardiovascular toxicology and reproductive toxicology.
Some of his most notable accomplishments include investigations of biomarkers for immune activation and neuro-injury in acute COVID-19 infections which has contributed to an enhanced understanding of immune responses, organ failure, and the impact of anti-viral treatments in COVID-19 patients.
He has also created novel interactive tools to facilitate the investigation of variations in gene expression across various cancer types. In addition, he has contributed to the development of machine learning models for predicting gene ontology enrichment in genomic based studies using RNA sequencing and Affymetrix GeneChip data and developed interactive web-based platforms from data generated using high-content imaging (cell painting) platforms.
Upon his recent return to GSK as an intern, Okeke is, again, becoming integrated into ongoing activities. He is beginning to work with GSK members of the HESI eSTAR Carcinogenomics working group in the analysis of genomic data sets obtained from RNASeq and Affymetrix platforms following short term treatment of rats with various gene toxicants to help aid in informing molecular mechanisms underlying risk factors of carcinogenesis.
What sets Tony apart from other students is that he is an international student from an under developed country (Nigeria) with a passion for understanding the mechanisms by which biological responses occur and how genomic data anaysis and the application of new bioinformatic tools are dependent upon each other to have an impact– this comes across in his inquiring about the mechanics of different experimental technques and in his participation in laboratory meetings.
“Even more important than the academic and scientific accolades is Tony’s leadership. He has worked diligently and regularly goes beyond what is expected of a traditional student. This is evidenced by the service he is extending as the Vice President as well as the Project Manager of the Drexel University Computational Design Group as well as his participation in helping to drive the Drexel
Society of Artificial Inteligence (AI) over the past two years.” the source added.
