Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTech) is one of 10 universities of technology in the country, and the only one in the coastal and deltaic region of Southwest Nigeria. Founded in 2010, the university was commissioned to create homegrown solutions to the challenges from oil pollution that affect the region's fishing industry.

The Department of Biological Sciences at OAUSTech previously received an Instrumental Access award.

Cancer affects millions, and is the leading cause of death in every country in the world. The most common cancer treatments—like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation—are often invasive, debilitating, and hard for patients to tolerate.

What if there were potential treatments for cancer from sources we haven’t yet explored? What if the key to better medicines could be found in the natural world?

Abdulkabir Oladele Oladimeji, PhD (right), senior lecturer in the Department of Chemical Sciences at OAUSTech, sees infinite potential for discovery in the rich plant life of Southwestern Nigeria, where OAUSTech calls home.

With a tropical climate and proximity to the coast, the area boasts many plants known for their medicinal properties. And a long tradition of using local plants for a variety of medicinal purposes gives Prof. Oladimeji a firm understanding of where to start looking.

His first target: Dioclea reflexa, a legume commonly known as the sea bean or sea purse. The species is part of a larger legume family that includes soybeans, which have already been shown to possess some anticancer properties. The sea bean has been used for centuries to treat aches, pains, and sores, and more current research has shown they have medicinal properties that can help in curing some kidney injuries.

With this strong foundation, Prof. Oladimeji is ready to see the extent to which these small plants can affect the big problem of cancer. To date, he and his colleagues have discovered two new antioxidant compounds—dioclin A and dioclin B—in the sea bean. They have also confirmed that the plant’s root extract is effective against certain types of prostate cancer.

But the next stages of this project require instrumentation that was previously out of the department’s reach. Prior to Instrumental Access, they had to send samples abroad for analysis, causing delays in their workflow.

“Due to a lack of equipment, we are handicapped in several ways,” says Prof. Oladimeji. “We initiated partnerships with institutions overseas so we can send some of our samples abroad for analysis. But this usually takes a lot of time and is quite expensive, which leads to frustration and incomplete projects.”

With over 160 pieces of Instrumental Access equipment arriving on campus in March 2022, the Department of Chemical Sciences will have the means to do analysis in their own labs. With a faster turnaround and lower cost for analysis, who knows what mysteries they may find within the humble sea bean?