VERITAS UNIVERSITY TOP RESEARCH OUTPUT 2021

September-21-2021 09:59:55

Veritas University Abuja is committed to the highest attainable excellence in research and innovation. Our exceptional research staff and outstanding students are constantly engaged in cutting-edge researches to proffer solutions to emerging societal problems. This corner periodically features outstanding research outputs from our esteem researchers.

As a step to solving the diagnostic challenges bothering on the current COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemic outbreaks, one of our scholars Dr. Godwin A. Udourioh, in collaboration with Dr. Emmanuel Epelle from the University of Edinburgh and Dr. Solomon Moses of Covenant University, recently published an article titled: “Metal Organic Frameworks as Biosensing Materials for COVID-19” with Springer Nature in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering.

Dr. Godwin Augustine Udourioh is an early career Analytical/Industrial Chemist whose research interest spans through (1) Synthesis and Characterization of Advanced Porous materials such as Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) for biosensing, drug delivery, electrochemical fuel/energy storage, and catalytic applications; (2) Synthesis and characterization of bio-based demulsifiers for crude oil emulsion treatment; (3) Petroleum flow assurance studies of asphaltene and other heavy organics precipitation and deposition chemistry. Research ID: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/S-3469-2018;

The Article: Metal Organic Frameworks as Biosensing Materials for COVID-19
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak is the most startling public health crises with attendant global socio-economic burden ever experienced in the twenty-first century. The level of devastation by this outbreak is such that highly impacted countries will take years to recover. Studies have shown that timely detection based on accelerated sample testing and accurate diagnosis are crucial steps to reducing or preventing the spread of any pandemic outbreak. In this opinionated review, the impacts of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) as a biosensor in a pandemic outbreak is investigated with reference to COVID19. Biosensing technologies have been proven to be very effective in clinical analyses, especially in assessment of severe infectious diseases. Polymerase chain reactions (PCR, RTPCR, CRISPR) - based test methods predominantly used for SARS-COV-2 diagnoses have serious limitations and the health scientists and researchers are urged to come up with a more robust and versatile system for solving diagnostic problem associated with the current and future pandemic outbreaks. MOFs, an emerging crystalline material with unique characteristics will serve as promising biosensing materials in a pandemic outbreak such as the one we are in. We hereby highlight the characteristics of MOFs and their sensing applications, potentials as biosensors in a pandemic outbreak and draw the attention of researchers to a new vista of research that needs immediate action.