Mahmoud Maina

Last updated
Mahmoud Bukar Maina
Mahmoud Maina portrait.jpg
NationalityNigerian
Alma materUniversity of Maiduguri, University of Sussex
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of Sussex, Gombe State University
Thesis From chromatin to protein synthesis: the role of glutamate, amyloid beta and tau in Alzheimer's disease
Doctoral advisor Louise Serpell

Mahmoud Bukar Maina is a British-Nigerian neuroscientist, educator, and researcher, based at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. His research is focused on the cellular and molecular pathogenesis in Alzheimer's disease. [1] He performs outreach work to inspire young people in Africa to pursue science and to increase public understanding of science. He is the Honorary Special Adviser on Science, Research, and Innovation to Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, Nigeria. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Maina is originally from Nguru, Yobe State, Nigeria. [3] He attended Federal Government College Buni Yadi in Yobe State for his Secondary School. [4] He completed his Bachelor of Science in Human Anatomy at the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria, in 2007. [5] After working at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Maiduguri and Gombe State University, he moved to the UK in 2011 to pursue a Master of Science in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience at the University of Sussex. [6] He went on to do a PhD at Sussex University in the lab of Louise Serpell, for which he received a prestigious the Chancellor's International Research Scholarship. [7] His PhD research was focussed on the role of nuclear Tau in Alzheimer's disease. [8] [9] [10] He completed his PhD in 2017, and is now an Independent Research Fellow in Sussex Neuroscience at the University of Sussex. [8] He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2018. [11] He is also a visiting faculty member at Yobe State University, Nigeria and founder of the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC) [12] in Yobe State University.

Research

During his PhD, Dr Maina revealed the localization of tau in the nucleolar remodelling complex in cultured cells and human brains and its role in nucleolar transcription and nucleolar stress response. [13] [14] [15] Traditionally, tau has been studied as a microtubule-associated protein, and its role in microtubules and aggregation has been widely studied to explain tauopathies - a group of diseases in which tau misfunctions. Dr Maina's work revealed that tau has other roles in the nucleolus, a finding that significantly aided the development of a new field focusing on tau biology in the nucleus. Dr. Maina continued his investigation as a postdoctoral fellow in the Serpell lab using a combination of biophysics, cell culture, and high-content imaging, leading him to show that 1) paired helical filaments in Alzheimer’s disease are cross-linked via ditorysine bonds, a process that triggers the formation of insoluble tau in vitro. [16] [17] 2) the self-assembly process of amyloid beta is critical for its toxicity, explaining why oligomers confer more toxicity than amyloid beta fibrils. [18] [19]

Recognizing the potential influence of ancestral backgrounds on nucleolar pathways and tauopathies, and acknowledging the underrepresentation of Africans in tauopathy research despite Africa's rich genetic diversity, Dr. Maina took the initiative to bridge this research gap through the development of less invasive models. In Nigeria, he collaborated extensively with local stakeholders in Yobe State, through which his team at BioRTC is pioneering the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from indigenous Nigerians. [20] His research seeks to dissect the functional role of tau in the nucleolus and the cellular and molecular mechanisms of nucleolar dysfunction in tauopathies, with a particular emphasis on the role of African ancestry.

Outreach work and awards

Growing up in Nigeria, Maina said he was inspired by his father's science book to become a scientist. However, there was a high level of misconceptions about science and a lack of visible science role models in his community, which hinders many young people from developing an interest in science disciplines. [21] As a result Maina founded the outreach program for TReND in Africa, [11] an organisation that aims to improve scientific development in Sub-Saharan Africa, for example by organising workshops on open hardware and neuroscience, [22] and science fairs for students and teachers. [23] He also started the Science Communication Hub in Nigeria, , [24] a platform that aims to connect scientists from Nigeria and increase the visibility of Nigerian and African scientists. [25] He has published about neuroscience research in Nigeria [5] [26] and in Africa's 54 countries, [27] as part of his ongoing work to enhance neuroscience research in Africa.

In 2019 Maina started the African Science Literacy Network, a project aimed at training scientists and journalists in effectively communicating research. [28] In September 2019 Maina organised a workshop which launched the project. [29] [28] Realising that while communicating science and raising awareness about to the public is crucial, a critical hindrance for scientific progress in Africa is the lack of many hubs with the appropriate infrastructure to pursue science locally. Using his connections with TReND in Africa and with the support of the Yobe State Government, Maina established the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC) in Yobe State University in 2021. [12] Through BioRTC, Maina and his team with the support of diverse funders, including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative are training the next generation of African scientists especially in areas of neuroscience, open hardware and bioimaging [30]

As a neuroscientist, he is currently developing the first sets of induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) models from ethnically diverse African donors to increase the inclusion of African iPSC models in neurodegenerative disease research. He argues that "Africa has the greatest genetic diversity, yet African models barely exist in global neuroscience." [31]

Maina's work also canvasses for an increase in the research output of neuroscientists on the African continent, arguing that neuroscience, which is currently driven by local priorities, has to be multidirectional; solving disease and brain-related problems while adopting artificial intelligence. [32]

For his outreach work, he has received the Royal Society of Biology Science Communication Award in 2017 [1] and the Young African Scientists in Europe award for the Champion of Science Storytelling Challenge. [33] [34] [35] In December 2018, he was nominated for The Future Awards Africa Prize for Young Person of the Year 2018, [24] both for his research in degenerative diseases and for his outreach work. In 2019, he was awarded the New England BioLabs Passion in Science Humanitarian Duty Award [36] and Kroto Public Engagement Award by Sussex's School of Life Sciences. [37] He is a recipient of the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize (2022) "for his longstanding efforts to expand science capacity in Africa and promote diversity in basic neuroscience research." [38]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neuroscience</span> Scientific study of the nervous system

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system, its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developmental biology, cytology, psychology, physics, computer science, chemistry, medicine, statistics, and mathematical modeling to understand the fundamental and emergent properties of neurons, glia and neural circuits. The understanding of the biological basis of learning, memory, behavior, perception, and consciousness has been described by Eric Kandel as the "epic challenge" of the biological sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tau protein</span> Group of six protein isoforms produced from the MAPT gene

The tau proteins are a group of six highly soluble protein isoforms produced by alternative splicing from the gene MAPT. They have roles primarily in maintaining the stability of microtubules in axons and are abundant in the neurons of the central nervous system (CNS), where the cerebral cortex has the highest abundance. They are less common elsewhere but are also expressed at very low levels in CNS astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yobe State</span> State of Nigeria

Yobe is a state located in northeastern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on 27 August 1991. Yobe State was carved out of Borno State. The capital of Yobe State is Damaturu, and its largest city by population is Potiskum. While by the largest by land area is Fune, Potiskum Local Government Area is a place of Farmers and marketers, the largest cattle market in Africa is located in Potiskum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neurofibrillary tangle</span> Aggregates of tau protein known as a biomarker of Alzheimers disease

Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are intracellular aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau protein that are most commonly known as a primary biomarker of Alzheimer's disease. Their presence is also found in numerous other diseases known as tauopathies. Little is known about their exact relationship to the different pathologies.

Bukar Abba Ibrahim (1949) was the governor of Yobe State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He also served as governor of the state from January 1992 to November 1993. He is a member of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Maiduguri</span> Federal university in Maiduguri, Nigeria

The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) is a Federal higher institution located in Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State in Northeast Nigeria. The university was created by the federal government of Nigeria in 1975, with the intention of its becoming one of the country's principal higher-education institutions. It enrolls about 25,000 students in its combined programs, which include a college of medicine and faculties of agriculture, arts, environmental science, Allied health science, Basic medical science, dentistry, education, engineering, law, management science, pharmacy, science, social science, and veterinary medicine. With the encouragement of the federal government, the university has recently been increasing its research efforts, particularly in the fields of agriculture, medicine and conflict resolution, and expanding the university press. The university is the major higher institution of learning in the north-eastern part of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tauopathy</span> Medical condition

Tauopathy belongs to a class of neurodegenerative diseases involving the aggregation of tau protein into neurofibrillary or gliofibrillary tangles in the human brain. Tangles are formed by hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule protein known as tau, causing the protein to dissociate from microtubules and form insoluble aggregates. The mechanism of tangle formation is not well understood, and whether tangles are a primary cause of Alzheimer's disease or play a peripheral role is unknown.

The biochemistry of Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia, is not yet very well understood. Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been identified as a proteopathy: a protein misfolding disease due to the accumulation of abnormally folded amyloid beta (Aβ) protein in the brain. Amyloid beta is a short peptide that is an abnormal proteolytic byproduct of the transmembrane protein amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP), whose function is unclear but thought to be involved in neuronal development. The presenilins are components of proteolytic complex involved in APP processing and degradation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proteinopathy</span> Medical condition

In medicine, proteinopathy, or proteopathy, protein conformational disorder, or protein misfolding disease, is a class of diseases in which certain proteins become structurally abnormal, and thereby disrupt the function of cells, tissues and organs of the body. Often the proteins fail to fold into their normal configuration; in this misfolded state, the proteins can become toxic in some way or they can lose their normal function. The proteinopathies include such diseases as Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and other prion diseases, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyloidosis, multiple system atrophy, and a wide range of other disorders. The term proteopathy was first proposed in 2000 by Lary Walker and Harry LeVine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usman Albishir</span> Nigerian politician

Shehu Usman Albishir was a Nigerian senator representing Yobe North constituency of Yobe State. He was a member of the business family of Alhaji Albishir Abdullahi and Late Hajiya Fatima Albishir.

Maria Grazia Spillantini, is Professor of Molecular Neurology in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge. She is most noted for identifying the protein alpha-synuclein as the major component of Lewy bodies, the characteristic protein deposit found in the brain in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. She has also identified mutations in the MAPT gene as a heritable cause for frontotemporal dementia.

Primary age-related tauopathy (PART) is a neuropathological designation introduced in 2014 to describe the neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) that are commonly observed in the brains of normally aged and cognitively impaired individuals that can occur independently of the amyloid plaques of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The term and diagnostic criteria for PART were developed by a large group of neuropathologists, spearheaded by Drs. John F. Crary and Peter T. Nelson. Despite some controversy, the term PART has been widely adopted, with the consensus criteria cited over 1130 times as of April 2023 according to Google Scholar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don W. Cleveland</span>

Don W. Cleveland is an American cancer biologist and neurobiologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tara Spires-Jones</span> Professor of Neurodegeneration

Tara Spires-Jones is professor of neurodegeneration and deputy director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. She is also a group leader in the UK Dementia Research Institute.

Benjamin Wolozin is an American pharmacologist and neurologist currently at Boston University School of Medicine and an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

AfricArXiv is an open-access repository for preprints of academic publications which are either about Africa or by African scientists. The platform was established in 2018. It was established to make preprint servers more available in various fields and regions. Its establishment happen during trends to provide more digital services to support science in Africa.

The 1991 Yobe State gubernatorial election occurred on December 14, 1991. SDP candidate Bukar Ibrahim won the election, defeating NRC Sadiq Maina.

The 2019 Nigerian Senate election in Yobe State was held on February 23, 2019, to elect members of the Nigerian Senate to represent Yobe State. Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai representing Yobe South, Ibrahim Gaidam representing Yobe East and Ahmad Lawan representing Yobe North all won on the platform of All Progressives Congress.

The 2007 Nigerian Senate election in Yobe State was held on 21 April 2007, to elect members of the Nigerian Senate to represent Yobe State. Ahmad Lawan representing Yobe North and Bukar Ibrahim representing Yobe East won on the platform of All Nigeria Peoples Party, while Adamu Garba Talba representing Yobe South won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Li Gan is a neuroscientist and professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. She is known for her discovery of pathogenic tau protein acetylation in tauopathies and mechanisms of microglia dysfunction in neurodegeneration.

References

  1. 1 2 "Neuroscientist wins Royal Society of Biology Science Communication Award 2017". The British Neuroscience Association. 2017-10-07. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  2. ↑ Zanna, Usman Abba (9 August 2022). "Leading Nigerian science researcher in UK gets appointment in home state, Yobe". Yerwa Express News. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "RSB announces winner of the New Researcher Science Communication Award 2017". Royal Society of Biology. 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  4. ↑ "Champions of Science Storytelling Challenge – YASE Edition Winner Announced! | J&J Innovation Center". talk.jnjinnovation.com. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  5. 1 2 "Global Science: Neuroscience in Nigeria". eLife. 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  6. ↑ "People". TReND. 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  7. ↑ "Researcher profile: Mahmoud Maina, School of Life Sciences doctoral researcher : May 2017 : ... : Doctoral School : Schools and services : University of Sussex". www.sussex.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  8. 1 2 Team, Web. "Dr Mahmoud Maina : Role Models: 12 Sussex Stories in Nigeria : ... : Study with us : University of Sussex". www.sussex.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  9. ↑ Maina, Mahmoud B.; Bailey, Laura J.; Wagih, Sherin; Biasetti, Luca; Pollack, Saskia J.; Quinn, James P.; Thorpe, Julian R.; Doherty, Aidan J.; Serpell, Louise C. (2018-07-31). "The involvement of tau in nucleolar transcription and the stress response". Acta Neuropathologica Communications. 6 (1): 70. doi: 10.1186/s40478-018-0565-6 . ISSN   2051-5960. PMC   6066928 . PMID   30064522.
  10. ↑ Maina, Mahmoud B.; Bailey, Laura J.; Doherty, Aidan J.; Serpell, Louise C. (2018). "The Involvement of Aβ42 and Tau in Nucleolar and Protein Synthesis Machinery Dysfunction". Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. 12: 220. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00220 . ISSN   1662-5102. PMC   6086011 . PMID   30123109.
  11. 1 2 Allen, Stephanie. "'Champion of Science' recognised for positive impact of research communication". The University of Sussex. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  12. 1 2 "Our Story". BioRTC. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  13. ↑ Maina, M.B.; Bailey, L.J.; Wagih, S.; et al. (31 July 2018). "The involvement of tau in nucleolar transcription and the stress response". Acta Neuropathologica Communications. 6 (1): 70. doi: 10.1186/s40478-018-0565-6 . PMC   6066928 . PMID   30064522.
  14. ↑ Bukar Maina M, Al-Hilaly YK, Serpell LC (7 Jan 2016). "Nuclear Tau and Its Potential Role in Alzheimer's Disease". Biomolecules. 6 (1): 9. doi: 10.3390/biom6010009 . PMC   4808803 . PMID   26751496.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ Maina, M. B.; Bailey, L. J.; Doherty, A. J.; Serpell, L. C. (3 August 2018). "The Involvement of Aβ42 and Tau in Nucleolar and Protein Synthesis Machinery Dysfunction". Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. 12, 385575.: 220. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00220 . PMC   6086011 . PMID   30123109.
  16. ↑ Maina, M. B.; Al-Lihaly, K. Y.; Burra, G.; Rickard, J. E.; Harrington, C. R.; Wischik, C. M.; Serpell, L. C. (22 March 2021). "Oxidative Stress Conditions Result in Trapping of PHF-Core Tau (297–391) Intermediates". Cells. 10 (3): 703. doi: 10.3390/cells10030703 . PMC   8005035 . PMID   33809978.
  17. ↑ Maina, M. B.; Al-Hilaly, Y. K.; Oakley, S.; Burra, G.; Khanom, T.; Biasetti, L.; Mengham, K.; Marshall, K.; Harrington, C. R.; Wischik, C. M.; Serpell, L. C. (15 October 2022). "Dityrosine Cross-links are Present in Alzheimer's Disease-derived Tau Oligomers and Paired Helical Filaments (PHF) which Promotes the Stability of the PHF-core Tau (297–391) In Vitro". Journal of Molecular Biology. 434, 167785 (19). doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167785 . hdl: 2164/19515 . PMID   35961386.
  18. ↑ Maina, M. B.; Burra, G.; Al-Hilaly, Y. K.; Mengham, K.; Fennell, K.; Serpell, L. C. (23 October 2020). "Metal- and UV- Catalyzed Oxidation Results in Trapped Amyloid-β Intermediates Revealing that Self-Assembly Is Required for Aβ-Induced Cytotoxicity". iScience. 23, 101537 (10). Bibcode:2020iSci...23j1537M. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101537 . PMC   7516296 . PMID   33083713.
  19. ↑ Vadukul, D. M.; Maina, M.; Franklin, H.; Nardecchia, A.; Serpell, L. C.; Marshall, K. E. (1 September 2020). "Internalisation and toxicity of amyloid-β 1-42 are influenced by its conformation and assembly state rather than size". FEBS Letters. 594 (21): 3490-3503. doi: 10.1002/1873-3468.13919 .
  20. ↑ Zaid Muhammad, Phoebe W. Brown, Larema Babazau, Abdulrahman I. Alkhamis, Baba W. Goni, Haruna A. Nggada, Kefas M. Mbaya, Selina Wray, Isa H. Marte, Celeste M. Karch, Louise C. Serpell, Mahmoud B. Maina (July 21, 2023). "Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell line from a healthy adult indigenous Nigerian participant". bioRxiv. doi:10.1101/2023.07.21.550059. S2CID   260118428 . Retrieved 26 November 2023.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ↑ "Champions of Science Storytelling Challenge – YASE Edition Winner Announced! | J&J Innovation Center". talk.jnjinnovation.com. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  22. ↑ "TReND in Africa Workshop Visit". Micro Control Instruments. 2018-05-03. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  23. ↑ "Science fair for teachers, students holds in Yobe". Premium Times Nigeria. 2017-11-22. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  24. 1 2 "Davido, Samson Itodo, Tomi Adeyemi, Nemitari Ajienka and Mahmoud Maina || Meet the honorees for The Future Awards Africa Prize for Young Person of the Year 2018". The Future Awards Africa. 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  25. ↑ "About | Science Communication Hub Nigeria". Home | Science Communication Hub Nigeria. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  26. ↑ Maina, Mahmoud Bukar; Mohammed, Yunusa Garba; Bukar, Ali Maina; Ahmad, Umar; Tijjani Salihu, Abubakar; Ibrahim, Harun A.; Abdurrazak, Muhammad; Hamidu, Suleiman Kwairanga; Yaro, Aisha Umar; Awadelkareem, Mosab Ali; Nasr, Fayza Eid (June 2019). "African neuroscience on the global stage: Nigeria as a model". The European Journal of Neuroscience. 49 (12): 1544–1551. doi: 10.1111/ejn.14372 . ISSN   1460-9568. PMID   30758873.
  27. ↑ Maina, M. B.; Ahmad, U.; Ibrahim, H. A.; Hamidu, S. K.; Nasr, F. E.; Salihu, A. T.; Abushouk, A. I.; Abdurrazak, M.; Awadelkareem, M. A.; Amin, A.; Imam, A. (2020-06-04). "20 years of African Neuroscience: Waking a sleeping giant". bioRxiv: 2020.06.03.131391. doi:10.1101/2020.06.03.131391. S2CID   219535302.
  28. 1 2 Tsanni, Abdullahi (12 August 2019). "African Science Literacy Network: Science Communication and Journalism workshop holds in Abuja". www.afriscitech.com. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  29. ↑ Allen, Stephanie. "Sussex neuroscientist working to improve science communication in Nigeria". The University of Sussex. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  30. ↑ "OSF". osf.io. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  31. ↑ ALBA Network. "ALBA-FKNE DIVERSITY PRIZE 2022 WINNER". ALBA NETWORK. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  32. ↑ Adepoju, Paul (2021). "Cohesion needed to improve neuroscience research in Africa". Nature Africa. doi:10.1038/d44148-021-00073-6. S2CID   239675031 . Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  33. ↑ "Champions of Science Storytelling Challenge – YASE Edition Winner Announced!". talk.jnjinnovation.com. J&J Innovation Center. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  34. ↑ Ogbe, Toju (2018-10-17). "Dr. Mahmoud Bukar Maina Wins 2018 Champions of Science Storytelling Challenge (YASE Edition)". PositiveNaija. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  35. ↑ "Leading Nigerian science education advocate, wins 'Champion of Science' Award in Europe". yenlive.com. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  36. ↑ "New England Biolabs® Announces 2019 Passion in Science Awards® Recipients | NEB". international.neb.com. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  37. ↑ Gowers, Jessica. "Winners of the Kroto Award for Public Engagement announced at symposium". The University of Sussex. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  38. ↑ ALBA Network. "ALBA-FKNE DIVERSITY PRIZE 2022 WINNER". ALBA NETWORK. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
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