Alash'le Abimiku, PhD

• Ahmadu Bello University, BS, Microbiology, 1978
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, MS, Medical Microbiology/ Immunology, 1983
• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, PhD, Medical Microbiology, 2002

As a postdoc, I had played a pivotal role in establishing a long-term collaboration between Institutions in my home country, Nigeria, and investigators at the National Institutes of Health and at the Institute of Human Virology University of Maryland School of Medicine where I currently have an appointment as Professor. Being an effective lynch pin, as captured in an article in Science, has made it possible to create a portfolio of successful research grants in Nigeria that has effectively trained young Nigerian scientists. As a scientist, I was first to demonstrate the HIV strain prevalent in Nigeria as subtype G in 1993. I was also first in establishing the first reliable HIV research laboratory in central Nigeria. The research laboratory supports my past and current funded grants on the role of subtypes in disease pathogenesis using mother to child model and effects of co-infections with TB on HIV pathogenesis. As the Director for Research and laboratory science, I have established a laboratory network and infrastructure including a BSL-3 for TB diagnostics activity, a robust lab QA/QC component, a comprehensive laboratory training program with four associated training facilities, and a biorepository network under the Institute of Human Virology-Nigeria PEPFAR program. These facilities have supported national efforts on achieving the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets, early infant diagnosis, and post market validations for PEPFAR HIV rapid test kits. As the Principal investigator for the pre and in-service laboratory training program under PEPFAR, I have effectively leverage those trainings and that of our Fogarty program to build research capability in Laboratory science by updating the in-service curricula used in 20 Universities and 47 Colleges of Health Technology offering degree and certificate for medical laboratory science program in Nigeria; and training over 2000 in-service laboratory personnel to support HIV and TB diagnosis and monitoring for the nation. As Lead Laboratory Technical Advisor for the proposed grant, I will provide direction and mentorship in the implementation and sustainability of human capacity development and laboratory system strengthening as I have done over the past 15 years.

HIV Virus, HIV subtypes, HIV drug resistance, HIV prevention, Mother-to-infant transmission of HIV, Antiretroviral Therapy Program, TB, Multidrug-resistant TB, Laboratory System Strengthening, Laboratory Accreditation, Biobanking, Microbiome, Health Systems Strengthening, Outbreaks and Surveillance

Dr. Abimiku has published over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles. A few of these are highlighted below:

1. P. Lar, N. Lar, K Bemis, J Jelpe, L. Enzyguirre, L Ayuba, D Zella, P Kanki, J Carr, W. Blattner, A.G. Abimiku. HIV subtype and drug resistance patterns among drug naïve persons in Jos, Nigeria. Afri J of Biotech Vol. 6(16):1892-1897, 2007.
2. Abimiku, A.G. Building Laboratory Infrastructure to Support Scale-Up of HIV/AIDS treatment, care and prevention. In country experience. Am J Clin Pathol 131:875-886, 2009.
3. Chuka J Anude, Emeka Eze, Henry C Onyegbutulem, Man Charurat, Mary-Ann Etiebet, Samuel Ajayi, Patrick Dakum, Oluyemisi Akinwande, Chris Beyrer, Alash’le Abimiku, William Blattner. Immuno-virologic outcomes and immuno-virologic discordance among adults alive and on anti-retroviral therapy at 12 months in Nigeria. BMC Infectious Disease 2013: 13: 113-. PubMed ID: 23452915. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-13-113.
4. Evaezi Okpokoro, Sophia Osawe, Pam Datong, Aminu Yakubu, Morenike Ukpong, Paul Orhii, John Idoko, Patrick Dakum, Gary Garber and Alash’le Abimiku. Preparing for HIV Vaccine Trials in Nigeria: Building the Capacity of the Community and National Coordinating, Regulatory and Ethical Bodies. J AIDS Clin Res 2013, 4: 12 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2155-6113.1000260.
5. Alash’le G. Abimiku. Building Laboratory Infrastructure to Support Scale-Up of HIV/AIDS treatment, care and prevention. In country experience. Am J Clin Pathol. 2009.131:875-886
6. Alash’le G. Abimiku, PhD, Talishiea Croxton, Ezekiel Akintunde, PhD, Bimpe Okelade, MMLS, Joseph Jugu, MMLS, Sam Peters, PhD, Patrick Dakum, MD, William Blattner, MD, and Niel Constantine, PhD. Experiences in Establishing a PEPFAR-Supported Laboratory Quality System in Nigeria. Am J Clin Pathol 134:541-549 2010 doi: 10.1309/AJCP5RP4QWEQLUZR (Epub).
7. Abimiku, A.G., Stern, T.L., Zwandor, A., Markham, P.D., Calef, C., Kyari, S., Saxinger, W.C., Gallo, R.C., Robert-Guroff, M., and Reitz, M.S.: Subgroup G HIV type 1 isolates from Nigeria.  AIDS Res. Hum. Retroviruses 10: 1581-1583, 1994.
8. Etiebet, Mary-Ann A.; Shepherd, James; Nowak, Rebecca G.; Charurat, Man; Chang, Harry; Ajayi, Samuel; Elegba, Olufunmilayo; Ndembi, Nicaise; Abimiku, Alashle; Carr, Jean K.; Eyzaguirre, Lindsay M.; Blattner, William A. Tenofovir based regimens associated with less drug resistance in HIV-1 infected Nigerians failing first-line antiretroviral therapy. AIDS Oct. 2012 doi: 10.1097/QAD.0b013e32835b0f59.
9. Charurat M, Datong P, Matawal B, Ajene A, Blattner WA, Abimiku A.  Timing and determinants of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Nigeria.   Int J Gynecol Obstet 106: 8-13. 2009.
10. Abimiku A, Pacha Villalba-Diebold, Jelpe Dadik, Felicia Okolo, Edwina Mang, Man Charurat.  Risk factors associated with low CD4+ lymphocyte count among HIV-positive pregnant women in Nigeria. Int J Gynecol Obstet 106: 227-231 2009 doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.03.057 (Epub).
11. Nwofor Alfred, Lawson Lovette, Gambo Aliyu Obasanya Olusegun, Panwal Meshak, Tunkat Jilang, Iwakun Mosunmola, Emenyonu Nnamdi, Onuoha Olubunmi, Dakum Patrick, Abimiku Alash’le. Optimizing Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection in resource limited settings. BMJ Open 2014;4:e004093. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2013-004093.
12. Gambo Aliyu, Samer S. El-Kamary, Alash’le Abimiku, Clayton Brown, Kathleen Tracy, Laura Hungerford, William Blattner. Prevalence of non-tuberculous Mycobacterial infections among tuberculosis suspects in Nigeria. PLOS ONE May 2013; 8(5): e63170. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0063170.
13. Alash’le Abimiku, Elizabeth Sarah Mayne, Moses Jaloba, Christine M. Beiswanger, Jennifer Troyer, Louise Wideroff. H3Africa Biorepository Program: Supporting Genomics Research On African Populations By Sharing High Quality Biospecimens. Biopreservation