Browsing by Author "Egieyeh, Samuel A."

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    Cheminformatic profiling and hit prioritization of natural products with activities against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
    (MPDI, 2021) Oselusi, Samson O.; Egieyeh, Samuel A.; Christoffels, Alan
    Several natural products (NPs) have displayed varying in vitro activities against methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, few of these compounds have not been developed into potential antimicrobial drug candidates. This may be due to the high cost and tedious and time-consuming process of conducting the necessary preclinical tests on these compounds. In this study, cheminformatic profiling was performed on 111 anti-MRSA NPs (AMNPs), using a few orally administered conventional drugs for MRSA (CDs) as reference, to identify compounds with prospects to become drug candidates. This was followed by prioritizing these hits and identifying the liabilities among the AMNPs for possible optimization. Cheminformatic profiling revealed that most of the AMNPs were within the required drug-like region of the investigated properties. For example, more than 76% of the AMNPs showed compliance with the Lipinski, Veber, and Egan predictive rules for oral absorption and permeability. About 34% of the AMNPs showed the prospect to penetrate the blood–brain barrier (BBB), an advantage over the CDs, which are generally non-permeant of BBB. The analysis of toxicity revealed that 59% of the AMNPs might have negligible or no toxicity risks. Structure–activity relationship (SAR) analysis revealed chemical groups that may be determinants of the reported bioactivity of the compounds. A hit prioritization strategy using a novel “desirability scoring function” was able to identify AMNPs with the desired drug-likeness.
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    Computational applications in secondary metabolite discovery (caismd): An online workshop
    (BMC, 2021) Ntie‑Kang, Fidele; Telukunta, Kiran K.; Egieyeh, Samuel A.
    We report the major conclusions of the online open-access workshop “Computational Applications in Secondary Metabolite Discovery (CAiSMD)” that took place from 08 to 10 March 2021. Invited speakers from academia and industry and about 200 registered participants from fve continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and North America) took part in the workshop. The workshop highlighted the potential applications of computational meth‑ odologies in the search for secondary metabolites (SMs) or natural products (NPs) as potential drugs and drug leads. During 3 days, the participants of this online workshop received an overview of modern computer-based approaches for exploring NP discovery in the “omics” age. The invited experts gave keynote lectures, trained participants in handson sessions, and held round table discussions. This was followed by oral presentations with much interaction between the speakers and the audience. Selected applicants (early-career scientists) were ofered the opportunity to give oral presentations (15 min) and present posters in the form of fash presentations (5 min) upon submission of an abstract. The fnal program available on the workshop website (https://caismd.indiayouth.info/) comprised of 4 keynote lec‑ tures (KLs), 12 oral presentations (OPs), 2 round table discussions (RTDs), and 5 hands-on sessions (HSs). This meeting report also references internet resources for computational biology in the area of secondary metabolites that are of use outside of the workshop areas and will constitute a long-term valuable source for the community. The workshop concluded with an online survey form to be completed by speakers and participants for the goal of improving any subsequent editions.
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    Evaluation and comparison of current legal and regulatory framework for traditional medicines in five selected African countries: A move towards harmonization of regulation of traditional medicines in Africa.
    (University of the Western Cape, 2019) Chikwari, John Ratiso; Egieyeh, Samuel A.
    Background: In Africa, traditional medicine (TM) practice has been in existence since time immemorial as the major source of pharmacotherapy. However, unlike orthodox medicines TM policies and regulations are not formalised let alone standardised. African nations have different approaches and regulatory requirements whereas in some states policies are even non-existent. Aim: The aim of the mini thesis was to assess the current policies and guidelines for regulation of TM in five selected sub-Saharan African countries relative to the WHO recommendations on traditional medicine policy. Method: The mini thesis was a desk review of current policy frameworks and guidelines for regulation of traditional medicines relative to WHO recommendations on TM policy in sub- Saharan Africa using five selected countries. Result: The results from the five selected countries showed significant difference in the current policies and guidelines on the regulation of TM, but no significant difference in the actual WHO TM policy indicators that the countries implemented. Discussion: Regularisation of TM practice by integrating it into main health systems could make it more acceptable. The complexity of TM/herbal products needs a different yet integrated approach. Harmonisation of regulatory requirements eliminates the need for redundant testing, ensures consistency across regions and improves implementation of WHO TM policy indicators.
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    Exploration of the training/educational background and the roles of regulatory affairs associates/officers in selected South African based pharmaceutical companies in Gauteng province
    (University of Western Cape, 2021) Mukoma, Collins; Egieyeh, Samuel A.
    Regulatory Affairs (RA), within the pharmaceutical business, could be a profession that covers different registration parameters of a pharmaceutical product. This is a profession that was developed to protect the public by providing smart, quality, safe and efficacious pharmaceutical products. However, it is not clear if the personnel possess the fundamental education and training required to perform the roles and responsibilities in this profession. The study aimed to explore the educational training and role of RA associates/officers in pharmaceutical corporations in Gauteng, South Africa. The study was a cross-sectional survey, which utilized Google forms with both open and closed-ended questions. Using descriptive statistics, it was found that the majority of the participants (78.3%) (RA assistants, officers, and scientists) indicated that the knowledge for most of the responsibilities they carry out was acquired through informal training (i.e., learning on the job).