Emmanuel Aladenika is a fourth-year Ph.D candidate in the Department of Oral sciences who is mentored by Prof. Azeez Butali. His research focuses on identifying variations in genetic ‘switches’ known as enhancers that can disrupt the normal development of the face and contribute to cleft formation. Using genomic data from African children with clefts and their unaffected parents, as well as experimental validation in mouse models, Emmanuel has identified variants in an enhancer that alter the activity of this enhancer and could lead to cleft formation. His work helps bridge a key knowledge gap by identifying how variations in enhancers contribute to clefts.

Originally from Ondo state in Nigeria, Emmanuel holds a bachelor’s degree in Physiology and a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Lagos. Outside of the lab, he enjoys listening to Afrobeat music, taking walks and experimenting with Nigerian recipes in the kitchen. He is passionate about advancing genetic research that improves health outcome and brings a global perspective to the study of craniofacial birth disorders.