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SUMMARY:Brain and Serum profile of the African Giant Rat brain (Cricetomys
  gambianus) after natural exposure to heavy metal environmental pollution 
 in the Nigerian Niger Delta - Professor James O Olopade\, Alexander von Hu
 mboldt Center of Excellence for Zoonotic Arboviral Diseases (ACEZAD) Unive
 rsity of Ibadan
DTSTART:20230503T150000Z
DTEND:20230503T160000Z
UID:TALK195169@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Fiona Roby
DESCRIPTION:Abstract\nIncreased crude oil-based industrial exploitation in
  the Niger Delta region of Nigeria causes severe environmental contaminati
 on with heavy metal pollutants. There is little information on how these p
 ollutants affect the nervous system of humans and animals in the region. T
 his is a significant issue to address since human neurodegenerative diseas
 es such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease of humans\, and prion d
 iseases of humans and animals are reported to be associated with changes i
 n heavy metal content in the brain. The African Giant Rat is an ideal ecot
 oxicological research model to study the nervous system due to its explora
 tory activities and ubiquitous profile. Here we investigated the blood ser
 um and brain pathology of African Giant Rats obtained from different regio
 ns/ecological zones of Nigeria that are subjected to different levels of i
 ndustrial pollution: Ibadan (rainforest)\; Abuja (savannah with mining act
 ivities) and Port-Harcout (humid forest with crude oil exploration). This 
 seminar will present data on the level of metal ions\, including zinc\, co
 pper and iron\, found in the serum and brain of African Giant Rats from th
 ese different regional locations and the extent of brain neurodegeneration
  in these animals. This novel and important study has been kindly supporte
 d by the Cambridge-Alborada Trust. \n\nAbout the Speaker:\nProfessor James
  Olukayode Olopade is currently the Principal Investigator of Alexander vo
 n Humboldt Center of Excellence for Zoonotic Arboviral Diseases (ACEZAD) a
 nd the Director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital\, at the University of
  Ibadan in Nigeria. James graduated with the DVM degree in 1992 and obtain
 ed his MSc and PhD in 2003 and 2006\, respectively\, all from the Universi
 ty of Ibadan. James carried out postdoctoral training in Neurobiology at t
 he Marine Biology Laboratory Woodshole\, USA\, in 2007 and in 2013 as a Gr
 ass Fellow\; as an International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO) Fellow
  in Penn State University\, USA in 2008\, and as a MacArthur and Alexander
  von Humboldt Fellow\, both at the University of Wurzburg\, Germany from 2
 010 to 2011. His current research areas are in neuroscience and comparativ
 e anatomy. He has been funded by a variety of organisations including the 
 International Society of Neurochemistry\; the International Brain Research
  Organisation\, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation\; the Tertiary Educa
 tion Trust Fund\, Nigeria\, the University of Ibadan Research Foundation\,
  and the Cambridge Alborada Grant amongst others. James has served as a me
 mber of the IBRO African Regional Committee\; President of the Society of 
 Neuroscientists of Africa\; Special Editor of (Neuroscience in Africa) for
  IBRO Neuroscience Reports\; and a Councillor of the International Society
  of Neurochemistry. Amongst his busy teaching and administrative load Jame
 s has supervised over 20 postgraduate students.  
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