Research Assistant (PhD Candidate)
Purdue University
Emeka is a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering under the supervision of Prof. Jacqueline Linnes and Prof. Tamara Kinzer-Ursem. Emeka obtained his master’s degree in biotechnology and bioinformatics from the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida. Emeka’s current research is focused on point-of-care molecular-based platforms for the detection of bloodborne and respiratory pathogens from complex human samples. Specifically, he is developing a portable HIV diagnostic platform by coupling the rapidity and simplicity of isothermal nucleic acid amplification technologies with the portability and scalability of microfluidic systems to achieve convenient viral load monitoring amongst people living with HIV. Ultimately, the developed self-test platform will help to reduce the issue of patient non-compliance in the HIV care continuum. Furthermore, Emeka has also embarked on a research collaboration with a group at KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden to multiplex the detection of HIV onto a low-cost centrifugal microfluidic device