Dr. Dolapo Adedeji's research interests include the development of anti-infective drugs that can be used in the treatment of the diseases caused by bacterial infections and malaria (pathogenic organisms). The rapidly increasing resistance developed by many pathogenic organisms to most of the currently available drugs is posing a serious health concern. There is a need for the development of new drugs for the treatment of the diseases caused by these pathogens. This should exploit target mechanisms that are different from commercial drugs that are currently available. It is important to understand the operation of the metabolic pathways that exist in these pathogens so as to find the appropriate target that can be used in the development of drugs against them. One of such pathways is the 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate (DOXP) for isoprene biosynthesis. This is a new and unique target for the development of anti-infective drugs.
