Research Officer

Chijioke Nwangbada Onah is a Biomedical Scientist and Research Officer at the Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research (NITR). His background is in Biochemistry, with specialization in Molecular Drug Metabolism, Molecular Mechanistic Toxicology, Experimental Oncology/Chemical Carcinogenesis, and Translational Research on Neglected Tropical Diseases. His current work sits at the zoonotic interface between human medicine and life sciences. He focuses on the metabolic profiling of Trypanosoma species and the complex host-pathogen interactions that shape disease outcomes in both humans and animal reservoirs. His passion for translational biomedical research is driven by a deep, age-long curiosity about the molecular "why," "how," and "so what" behind disease processes and potential cures. He is currently investigating the biochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying both trypanosomal pathogenicity and trypanotolerance. Through his works, he is advancing a paradigm shift that reframes African trypanosomiasis from a purely infection-centric, pathogen-burden disease to one rooted in programmed immunometabolic collapse and host stabilization strategies. At the same time, he is developing new projects on genomic mapping and metagenomic surveillance of Trypanosoma species across Nigeria and the West African corridor. Looking ahead, he intends to deploy advanced translational genomics, Forward/reverse genetics, multi-omics integration, and AI-driven approaches to identify and validate unique metabolic vulnerabilities, multidrug resistance signatures, and toxicogenomics landscapes. His long-term goal is to catalyze the development of next-generation, biocompatible therapeutics and precision diagnostics that address global health inequities and strengthen One Health solutions across sub-Saharan Africa.