Air pollution, chemical weapons, diseases, drugs and signs of life on other planets — all can be detected with biosensors.
The development of high tech to do this job — when canines or conventional tests aren’t practical — is a field that spurred NJIT’s Omowunmi Sadik into action.
Case in point: Sadik created a sensor that detects the novel coronavirus using the power of a smartphone — "So simple it can be 3D-printed by undergraduates," she explained — and there are even biosensors that can measure pain. The latter are especially useful for those who can't accurately communicate due to age or health.
Sadik, a distinguished professor of chemistry and environmental science, leads NJIT's BioSMART Center and is a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, Royal Society of Chemistry and African Academy of Sciences.
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Biography
Omowunmi Sadik seeks to develop innovative technologies for improving human health, food safety and the environment through her research into biological sensors, surface chemistry, electrochemistry and nanostructured conducting polymers.
She holds five patents for her work on biosensors and nanostructured membranes and her inventions drove changes in areas such as dentistry, pain management and counterterrorism.
At NJIT, she is a distinguished professor, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science and director of the BioSmart Center.
Sadik is also an expert on COVID-19 in the realm of handheld, point-of-care, disease-sensing devices
She joined NJIT in 2019, after 23 years at SUNY Binghamton. She's from Nigeria.
Areas of Expertise
Nanostructured Conducting Polymers
Chemical and Biological Sensors
Surface Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Biosensors
Accomplishments
American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering
2012
Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer, Sigma Xi
2015
Nigerian National Order of Merit, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
2016
Jefferson Science Fellow, U.S. Department of State
2017
Brian O'Connell Distinguished Fellow, University of Western Cape, South Africa
The Connection Between Environmental Chemistry and COVID
NJ PBS: One-on-One with Steve Adubato tv
2021-01-21
Wunmi Sadik, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science at NJIT, discusses the development of biosensors to test COVID-19 and the importance of environmental chemistry during a pandemic.
SMART Biosensors: A New Modality to Objectively Quantify Pain
NIH Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series
2021-01-06
Articles
Synthesis, characterization and antifungal activities of eco-friendly palladium nanoparticles†
RSC Advances
Francis J Osonga, Sanjay Kalra, Roland M Miller, Daniel Isika, Omowunmi A Sadik
2020
Palladium is a versatile catalyst, but the synthesis of palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) is usually attained at a high temperature in the range of 160 °C to 200 °C using toxic reducing agents such as sodium borohydride. We report the synthesis of PdNPs using a low-cost and environmentally-friendly route at ambient temperatures.
Size and Shape-Dependent Antimicrobial Activities of Silver and Gold Nanoparticles: A Model Study as Potential Fungicides
Molecules
Francis J Osonga, Ali Akgul, Idris Yazgan, Ayfer Akgul, Gaddi B Eshun, Laura Sakhaee, Omowunmi A Sadik
2020
Plant-based pathogenic microbes hinder the yield and quality of food production. Plant diseases have caused an increase in food costs due to crop destruction. There is a need to develop novel methods that can target and mitigate pathogenic microbes. This study focuses on investigating the effects of luteolin tetraphosphate derived silver nanoparticles (LTP-AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (LTP-AuNPs) as a therapeutic agent on the growth and expression of plant-based bacteria and fungi.
Novel quercetin and apigenin-acetamide derivatives: design, synthesis, characterization, biological evaluation and molecular docking studies
RSC Advances
Daniel Isika, Mustafa Çeşme, Francis J Osonga, Omowunmi A Sadik
2020
Flavonoids exhibit essential but limited biological properties which can be enhanced through chemical modifications. In this study, we designed, synthesized and characterized two novel flavonoid derivatives, quercetin penta-acetamide (1S3) and apigenin tri-acetamide (2S3).
Greener One-Pot Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticle Glycoconjugates Using Functionalized Sugars
ACS Agricultural Science & Technology
Idris Yazgan, Francis J Osonga, Roland M Miller, Victor M Kariuki, Jing Zhang, Jun Feng, Zakiya Skeete, Heather Crapo, Jürgen Schulte, Omowunmi A Sadik
2021
Carbohydrates have been used to decorate metallic nanoparticles to form nanoglycoconjugates. However, the synthetic conditions typically require the utilization of increased temperatures and other reagents that negatively impact the stability of the conjugates. For the first time, this study is reporting the synthesis of gold–nanoparticle glycoconjugates (AuNP-GCs) in aqueous media at ambient temperatures.
Mechanism of Interactions of dsDNA Binding with Apigenin and Its Sulfamate Derivatives Using Multispectroscopic, Voltammetric, and Molecular Docking Studies
ACS Omega
Simon Waihenya, Pelin Şenel, Francis J Osonga, Taner Erdoğan, Filiz Altay, Ayşegül Gölcü, Omowunmi A Sadik
2021
DNA binding investigations are critical for designing better pharmaceutical compounds since the binding of a compound to dsDNA in the minor groove is critical in drug discovery. Although only one in-vitro study on the DNA binding mode of apigenin (APG) has been conducted, there have been no electrochemical and theoretical studies reported. We hereby report the mechanism of binding interaction of APG and a new class of sulfonamide-modified flavonoids, apigenin disulfonamide (ADSAM) and apigenin trisulfonamide (ATSAM), with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
