The Biotechnology Society of Nigeria (BSN) said a research by a Nigerian agricultural biotechnologist, Dr Abraham Isah, has bolstered Nigeria’s growing influence in global agricultural biotechnology studies.
This was contained in a congratulatory letter to Isah by Prof. Sylvia Uzochukwu, the president of the association and made available to newsmen in yesterday in Abuja.
Isah of Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Abuja, studied “Integrative Proteometabolomic and Ecotoxicogenomic: Analysis of the Single Line Transgenic Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) Cowpea.’’
The research found that planting transgenic PBR cowpea positively influences biodiversity and the environment.
Also known as Bt Cowpea, PBR cowpea is a genetically modified cowpea variety developed to resist the legume pod borer.
The legume pod borer, known scientifically as Maruca vitrata, is a pest causing severe damage to cowpeas.
Its caterpillars feed on flowers and pods, and are dull to yellow-white with dark spots.
Isah is also the National Public Relations Officer of the BSN and Program Officer, Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) Nigeria.
Uzochukwu said with seven publications in international journals and two major conference presentations Isah’s five-year work yielded significant findings, achieving key objectives.
The BSN President and said that Isah’s research represented a landmark in Nigerian agricultural biotechnology, offering ground breaking insights.
These insights, according to her, include being the first of such studies to combine proteomic, metabolomics, and ecotoxicogenomic analysis for an environmental assessment of Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) cowpea.
That area of study explores the structure, function, and interactions of proteins, known commonly as the workhorses of the cell.
Experts say proteomics researches into the entirety of proteins in a cell or organism.
On the other hand, metabolomics seeks to unravel the complete set of small molecule metabolites within a biological system.
While ecotoxicology is the study of the harmful effects of toxic substances on ecosystems and the organisms within them by integrating principles from both toxicology and ecology
Uzochukwu said that under localised risk assessment, Isah’s research created a foundation for Nigeria-specific environmental risk assessments, tailored to Nigeria’s ecosystem and agricultural needs.
She said using innovative methodology the work pioneered an integrated molecular and ecological framework for evaluating transgenic crops, setting a standard for future environmental assessments.