Notable Black Inventors: Akinyemi Ojesina, Oncopathogenomics Scientist

Akinyemi I. Ojesina, MD, PhD, has distinguished himself in the fields of medicine and science by his pioneering work in genomic research, particularly in the area of cancer genetics.

His most notable contributions include leading the first whole exome and whole genome sequencing-based characterization of cervical cancer, which has significantly advanced our understanding of how genetic alterations interact with microbial influences in cancer development.

His research has paved the way for potential new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches by combining genomic analyses with laboratory experiments on multi-ethnic patient samples, cell lines, and animal models.

Born in Nigeria, Akinyemi studied to become a medical doctor at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, graduating in 1998.

Akinyemi then pursued further education in the United States, where he obtained a PhD in Biological Sciences in Public Health from Harvard University in 2007.

His doctoral work focused on molecular determinants of antiretroviral drug resistance within HIV-1 subtypes prevalent in West Africa, indicating an interest in how genetic factors influence disease outcomes.

Post-Harvard, Akinyemi joined the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. Here, he delved into the genetic landscape of cancers, co-developing PathSeq, a computational tool designed for pathogen discovery from next-generation sequencing data.

This tool has been instrumental in identifying infectious agents that might contribute to cancer development, thus marrying microbiology with oncology in a novel way.

Akinyemi's work focused on how infections synergize with genomic alterations to influence tumor initiation, progression, and response to therapy.

His lab's work has been pivotal in understanding cancer ecology, where the tumor microenvironment is viewed as an ecosystem influenced by both host genetics and microbial inhabitants.