How Dr. Enema Onojah John Is Using AI to Accelerate Natural Drug Discovery in Africa
Dr. Enema Onojah John, a trained pharmacognosist with a PhD in the field, is leading an innovative project that blends ancient herbal science with modern artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover new medicinal compounds.
His platform, Phyto AI Innovation, uses bioinformatics and machine learning to screen, rank, and predict the therapeutic potential of plant-derived compounds, aiming to make drug discovery faster, cheaper, and more efficient.
Source: Original
AI speeds up drug discovery process
In a field that traditionally requires slow and costly trials, Dr. John has combined his expertise in pharmacognosy with AI to speed up the process of drug discovery.
“Many promising compounds never move past the bench because we lack the tools to evaluate them quickly and comprehensively. That’s where AI comes in,” Dr. John explains.
His platform screens hundreds of plant-based molecules against a database of therapeutic targets, significantly reducing time and cost by performing virtual pre-screening.
A scalable model for affordable medicine in Africa
Africa, home to over 45,000 species of medicinal plants, has largely under-exploited its natural pharmacy, with only a fraction of its plants studied for therapeutic development.
Dr. John sees AI as a tool that can unlock this untapped potential.
“The world is sitting on a plant-based goldmine, but unless we can digitize, analyse, and predict their potential at scale, we’ll always be playing catch-up,” he says.
His goal is to empower local research teams, particularly in regions where expensive labs are scarce, to develop plant-based drugs tailored to local populations.
Phyto AI Innovation gains attention and partnerships
Launched in 2024, Phyto AI Innovation is already making strides in the field. Dr. John’s platform has garnered interest from biotech firms and researchers across Nigeria and the U.S., with the goal of optimising phytochemical libraries for drug development.
In addition, Dr. John serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals and has spoken at global conferences on the integration of AI in scientific research.
Future plans for Phyto AI Innovation
Looking ahead, Dr. John plans to expand Phyto AI’s compound screening database to include more lesser-known African botanicals. He also aims to establish partnerships with U.S. biotech companies and academic institutions to explore AI-assisted compound repurposing.
In addition, he plans to launch open-access APIs, enabling young researchers to run bioactivity predictions from their laptops or phones. Dr. John is focused on securing funding and collaborations that will allow the platform to scale across African research centres.
AI and natural wisdom shaping the future of medicine
Dr. John’s approach merges pharmacognosy with AI, highlighting the potential for emerging technologies to address Africa’s public health challenges.
His vision is one where natural drug discovery is both faster and more accessible, enabling researchers to tap into the vast potential of Africa’s plant species.
“AI can’t replace good science, but it can supercharge it,” he concludes. Through his innovative work, Dr. John is paving the way for affordable and culturally relevant treatment options for the continent.
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Source: Legit.ng
