I am a Senior Researcher at the Gene Technology, Environment & Society group at NORCE. My research interest is interdisciplinary, integrating the core technical sciences and the social sciences. Currently, my research focus on (1) safe and innovative use of the new CRISPR/Cas technology in agriculture, aquaculture, health, and environment, e.g., Nano4CRISPR; CRISPRsafe: molecular analyses of safe use of CRISPR gene-editing technologies in aquaculture (2) Biosafety science involving risk assessment, regulation of gene-edited products, GMOs, medicinal products including vaccines; e.g. Flavivaccine.
My main expertise is in microbiology, virology, molecular biology, Omics, and biosafety science -applying their different techniques to achieve the different objectives of the various projects I undertake, e.g. (i) of providing new knowledge on CRISPR/Cas to enable innovative and safe use of the technology; (ii) of charting the regulatory paths for vaccines against diseases of mosquito-transmitted flaviviruses.
I also provide advisory/consultancy to VKM (Norwegian Food Safety Authority), EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), and EMA (European Medical Agency).
Educational & Career Information
Senior Researcher at NORCE: 2021-Date
Senior Researcher at GenØk: 2013 – 2021
Postdoctoral Fellow at GenØk: 2010 -2013
PhD at University of New South Wales (Australia): 2004-2009
Advisory
Member representing the academia on the advisory board of the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC): 2024 - 2027
Selected Recent Publications
- Strømsnes, T.A.H.; Schmidke, S.E.; Azad, M.; Singstad, Ø.; Grønsberg, I.M.; Dalmo, R.A.; Okoli, A.S. (2022). CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene Editing in Salmonids Cells and Efficient Establishment of Edited Clonal Cell Lines. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 16218. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232416218
- Okoli, A.S., Blix T., Myhr, A.I., Xu, W., Xu, X. (2021). Sustainable use of CRISPR/Cas in fish aquaculture: the biosafety perspective. Transgenic Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-021-00274-7
- Myhr, A.I., Grønsberg, I.M., Okoli, A.S. (2020). Norway -The Norwegian Gene Technology Act: Presenting Case Studies to Illustrate the Act´s Advances in Protecting Biodiversity. In: Chaurasia A., Hawksworth D.L., Pessoa de Miranda M. (eds) GMOs. Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation, vol 19. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53183-6_41
- Ouambo HF, Ngu LN, Lissom A, Ngoh AA, Okoli AS, Atabonkeng PE , Takoua D, Garcia R , Gutiérrez A, Chukwuma GO, Ngouadjeu E, Okeke MI, Esimone CO, Achidi EA, Mbacham WN, Kaptue L, Park CG, Waffo AB, Assob ANC and Nchinda GW* (2019). Persistent asymptomatic plasmodium falciparum-driven anemia in a treatment re-infection pediatric cohort in a rural health district of Cameroon. J Blood Lymph. 9(248). Pp. 2-6
- Agapito-Tenfen SZ, Okoli AS, Bernstein MJ, Wikmark OG, Myhr AI. (2018). Revisiting Risk Governance of GM Plants: The Need to Consider New and Emerging Gene-editing Techniques. Front. Plant Sci. 9:1874. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01874. eCollection 2018
- Njambe Priso GD, Lissom A, Ngu LN, Nji NN, Tchadji JC, Tchouangueu TF, Ambada GE, Ngane CSS, Dafeu BL, Djukouo L, Nyebe I, Magagoum S, Ngoh AA, Herve OF, Garcia R, Gutiérrez A, Okoli AS, Esimone CO, Njiokou F, Park CG, Waffo AB, Nchinda GW. (2018). Filaria specific antibody response profiling in plasma from anti-retroviral naïve Loa loa microfilaraemic HIV-1 infected people. BMC Infect Dis. 18. Doi: 10.1186/s12879-018-3072-2.
- Okoli AS, Okeke MI, Tryland M, Moens U (2018). CRISPR/Cas9-Advancing Orthopoxvirus Genome Editing for Vaccine and Vector Development. Viruses. 10. doi: 10.3390/v10010050.
- Kaare M. Nielsen, Tor Gjøen, Nana Asare, Bjørn-Tore Lunestad, Siamak Yazdankhah, Bjørnar Ytrehus, Jacques Godfroid, Anders Jelmert, Jörn Klein, Arinze Okoli, Arne Tronsmo. (2018). Antimicrobial resistance in wildlife - potential for dissemination. Opinion of the Panel on Microbial Ecology, Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment. VKM report 2018:07, ISBN: 978-82-8259-304-5, ISSN: 2535-4019. Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM), Oslo, Norway.
- Okoli, A.S., Nana Asare (VKM staff), Tor Gjøen, Jörn Klein, and Bjørnar Ytrehus (2016). Knowledge base for the assessment of environmental risks by the use of genetically modified virus-vectored vaccines for domesticated animals. Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Microbial Ecology of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM). ISBN: 978-82-8259-239-0, Oslo, Norway
All Publications, see ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0256-0856 OR
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?
