Biography
Dr. Funmilayo I. Deborah Afolayan is a lecturer at the Department of Zoology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Her academic journey includes a B.Sc. in Zoology, M.Sc. in Cellular Parasitology, and Ph.D in same field, all at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Dr. Afolayan’s research focuses on Cellular Parasitology, Immunology, and Ethnopharmacology, particularly of malaria and other parasitic diseases. She has integrated Cellular and Molecular Biology with Bioinformatics tools to investigate the antiplasmodial and immunomodulatory properties of many medicinal plants and their phytocompounds as unique drug candidates and adjuvants for infectious diseases. Similarly, through the use of Reverse Vaccinology Approaches which make use of Immunoinformatics tools, She has designed some multi-epitope vaccine constructs for Malaria, Ascariasis and Trichuriasis.
Dr. Afolayan is a strong advocate for the dissemination of science and has been a founding member of the International Veterinary Vaccinology Network’s African Schools Outreach Programme - leading the activities in Nigeria.
Research interests
As a researcher dedicated to combating infectious diseases, I have centred my career on discovering innovative, plant-based solutions for malaria and other parasitic infections. With my expertise in Cellular Parasitology, I began by investigating the therapeutic potential of Nigerian medicinal plants. My Ph.D. research identified several plants with promising antimalarial and immune-boosting properties, offering viable alternatives to synthetic drugs that often face resistance or high costs.
A significant breakthrough in my research came with integrating Bioinformatics and Computational Biology with other biological techniques, enabling me to predict the interactions between plant compounds and disease-causing organisms at the molecular level. This approach facilitated the research of identifying potential drug candidates and a multi-epitope vaccine for intestinal worms using computer-aided methods – a faster and more cost-effective approach than traditional vaccine development.
Projects you're working on
Antiplasmodial and Immunogenic Potentials of Phytochemicals Derived from Some Nigerian Medicinal Plants: A Multi-Faceted Approach
Discipline
Bioinformatics Cellular biology Molecular biology Parasitology Structural biology Host species
Zoonoses Pathogen
Parasites Stage of vaccine development
Adjuvants