Meet the MPI's
The objectives
of iCCaRE
is to fight prostate cancer in the Black community all over the world
Dr. Solomon O. Rotimi
COVENANT UNIVERSITY
Dr. Solomon O. Rotimi is a Professor at Covenant University, Nigeria. He has a broad background in Clinical Biochemistry, with specific training and expertise in Genomics and Bioinformatics. The overarching focus of his research is to understand the contributions of genomics and environmental factors, including pathogens, nutrients, and xenobiotics to cancer disparity in Blacks. He studies this interaction using a cocktail of genomics, molecular, and bioinformatics tools. He was a senior Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Dr. John Carpten Lab in the Department of Translational Genomics, Keck School of Medicine, the University of Southern California, where he investigated the inter- and intra-tumoral heterogeneity of different types of cancers using new technologies like single-cell genomics and spatial transcriptomics.
He leads various molecular / genomics studies on Cancer in Africa including investigation of the role of inflammation in prostate cancer in men of African ancestry and the whole exome and transcriptome sequencing of Nigerian prostate cancer. He is the African PI for the CaPTC (http://epi.grants.cancer.gov/captc/) and that of the CaPTC’s tissue source sites for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. He is now the PI for pilot project 5 of the newly established Department of Defense-funded Inclusive Cancer Care Research Equity (iCCaRE) for Black Men Consortium. It is his hope that his studies will contribute to reducing the burden and disparity of genetic disorders among Blacks.
iCCaRE Pilot Projects
Pilot Project 1
will develop a Virtual Robot Assistant (ViRA) for Black men newly diagnosed
Pilot Project 3
Will develop ViRA to improve quality of life in Black prostate cancer survivors
Pilot Project 4
Will assess and address social determinants of health needs of sub-Saharan African immigrant prostate cancer survivors
Pilot Project 5
Will explore how biological factors contribute to poor mental health of prostate cancer survivors