Anieto breaks bounds with new antibiotics resistance invention

NOT many inventions or discoveries see the light of day, more so becoming a global impact but Ugochukwu Obiakornobi Anieto has registered his name in the revered register of world changers.

  Fate interfaced with a dream has a peculiar mode of turning the human path to global reckoning. Not many people set out reckoning an achievement transcends mere academic qualifications in a world that is in dire need of solutions to global challenges. Anieto, an Anambra State-born microbiologist belongs to that privileged class.

  The Anambra State-born food and environmental microbiologist with a research background focused on bioenergy, antimicrobial resistance, food microbiology, bioinformatics food safety, antibiotics, bioremediation and bioaugmentation, pharmaceutical and quality control microbiology has made a new foray into the area of drug invention with a ground-breaking discovery that will save millions of lives.

  Dr. Anieto, an Associate Professor in Microbiology at Texas A&M University, United States, has invented a device that will save millions of lives. He is the inventor of Anietocin, an antibiotic used to treat antibiotic-resistant microbial infections. The new drug is named after his Nigerian family roots.

  According to Texas A&M University, ”The rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is occurring worldwide, endangering the efficacy of antibiotics, which have transformed medicine and saved millions of lives. The antibiotic resistance crisis has been attributed to the misuse of these medications, as well as the lack of new drug development efforts. This disclosed invention presents a new strain of Pseudomon. spp. bacteria that produces antimicrobial compounds effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.”

  “A previously unknown Pseudomonas strain has been identified and now named “Anieto”, after the TAMU inventor Dr. Anieto. The bacterium produces a novel antibiotic compound, named “Anietoci, and has been tested against several bacteria, both Gram positive and Gram negative, for growth inhibition and has so far been effective against all test bacterial species. While resistance to antibiotics is a growing global concern, this antibiotic offers the promise of alleviating the substantial health and economic burden on healthcare systems and the population.

  Dr. Anieto strongly believes that pharmaceutical companies can utilise this bacterium and maximise its effectiveness to treat prevailing bacterial infections in patients. His team is currently improving the chemical extraction process of this novel antibiotic and understanding the metabolomics of the bacterium to addre. large scale manufacturing opportunities.”

  Born in Onitsha, Anambra State, Dr Anieto attended Dennis Memorial Grammar School and St Charles Special Science School, both in Onitsha. For his tertiary education. He gained admission into Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, where he got a Bachelor of Science in Applied Microbiology.  After his one-year compulsory National Youth Service Corps in Niger State, he joined UAC Food in Lagos. Lured by further academic qualifications, he resigned from UAC and returned to Nnamdi Azikiwe University to pursue his Master’s Degree in Food Microbiology.

  On obtaining his Master’s, he picked a lecturing job at Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe, and applied for a job at Anambra State University, Uli, which did not acknowledge the application until he got the visa to the U.K, where he became a visiting Research Associate at the School of Medicine, University of Newcastle.

  From the United Kingdom, Dr. Anieto moved to the United States, where he obtained his PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of North Texas, Denton.

  He became Graduate Teaching Assistant in General Microbiology at the University of North Texas in 2016 to 2019, he taught online courses on Environmental Conservation and other assigned courses. He joined the College of Science of Texas A&M University McAllen Higher Education Centre in August of 2018.

  Ugoo, as he is fondly called by close friends, obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Molecular Biology from the University of North Texas and also Certificate Programme in Instructional Technology from Texas A&M University.

  Before Dr. Anieto became an Instructional Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University, he was a visiting Research Associate at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. He relocated to the United States where he worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the General Microbiology University of North Texas, Denton.

  He was an Associate Professor at Odessa College, Texas Area, until 2017, and later Assistant Professor at Mississippi Valley State University from 2017 to 2018. Dr. Anieto is also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, City of New York.

  Dr. Anieto’s drug is undergoing laboratory trials on several bacterial species while showing consistent results with no resistance to antibiotics observed by targeted bacterial species yet. The Broad-spectrum antibiotic which provides potential hunts is in the process of a U.S. Patent application.

  Dr. Ugo enjoys reading crime novels, watching documentaries, and taking long walks. He is married to Nonye Anieto and blessed with two kids.