Prior to joining NYMC, Chioma M. Okeoma, Ph.D., was an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York. Dr. Okeoma completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania from where she moved to the University Iowa as an assistant professor. She has been in the forefront of cutting-edge research for which she has received many awards and recognitions, including a medallion from the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists, as well as a recipient of the Andy Kaplan Prize from Cold Spring Harbor Retrovirus Meeting. Dr. Okeoma is a fellow of the Lovelace Biomedical in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as well as a recipient of the Iowa Women of Innovation Awards by the Technology Association of Iowa. 

Areas of Expertise

• Infectious diseases (virology)
• Breast cancer
• Drug abuse
• Extracellular vesicles
• Extracellular condensates

Education

• B.Sc., Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria
• M.Sc., Federal University of Agriculture Umudike, Nigeria
• Ph.D., Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
• Postdoctoral Training, University of Pennsylvania

Honors and Awards

• Doctoral scholarship, New Zealand Overseas Development Assistance, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
• Most commendable published paper prize for: Isolation and molecular characterization of Neospora caninum in cattle in New Zealand. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 52, 364-370. PMID: 15768137 Australian College of Veterinary Scientists, Australia
• Postdoctoral trainee (5-T32-CA-009140-29 to UPENN)
• Andy Kaplan Prize: Cold Spring Harbor Retrovirus Meeting
• American Society for Virology (ASV) Invited Keynote Speaker
• University of Iowa Nominee for Iowa Women of Innovation Awards, Technology Association of Iowa
• Finalist for Iowa Women of Innovation Awards by Technology Association of Iowa
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps Program Award
• University of Iowa Nominee for Iowa Women of Innovation Awards, Technology Association of Iowa
• Recipient of the Iowa Women of Innovation Awards by Technology Association of Iowa
• University of Iowa 2016 inventor Award
• University of Iowa Startup Launched Award

Research

Dr. Okeoma’s laboratory focuses on understanding how host factors expressed in host cells or present in extracellular structures, such as extracellular vesicles and extracellular condensates, protect the host against infective agents or facilitate disease manifestation. Her laboratory has led in defining the role of BST-2 in breast cancer as reported in multiple publications. Additionally, her laboratory studies the interaction of cellular components and extracellular structures and how they interplay to produce spatiotemporal phenotypes observed in physiological and pathophysiological states.

International Grant Review

• Icelandic Research Fund (IRF) 
• The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
• Terry Fox Foundation
• The Al Jalila Foundation

Publications

• Okeoma CM, Premadasa L, Tan CS, et. al. "Cannabinoids shift the basal ganglia miRNA m6A methylation profile towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype in SIV-infected Rhesus macaques." bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, (), (2024) . pii: 2024.10.11.614514. doi: 10.1101/2024.10.11.614514
• Naushad W, Premadasa LS, Okeoma BC, et. al. "Extracellular condensates (ECs) are endogenous modulators of HIV transcription and latency reactivation." bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, (), (2024) . pii: 2024.09.14.613037. doi: 10.1101/2024.09.14.613037
• Okeoma CM, Naushad W, Okeoma BC, et. al. "Lipidomic and Proteomic Insights from Extracellular Vesicles in Postmortem Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Reveal Substance Use Disorder-Induced Brain Changes." bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, (), (2024) . pii: 2024.08.09.607388. doi: 10.1101/2024.08.09.607388
• Lyu Y, Guo Y, Okeoma CM, et. al. "Engineered extracellular vesicles (EVs): Promising diagnostic/therapeutic tools for pediatric high-grade glioma." Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie, 163(), (2023) 114630. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114630
• Premadasa LS, Lee E, McDew-White M, et. al. "Cannabinoid enhancement of lncRNA MMP25-AS1/MMP25 interaction reduces neutrophil infiltration and intestinal epithelial injury in HIV/SIV infection." JCI insight, 8(7), (2023) . doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.167903
• Kopcho S, McDew-White M, Naushad W, et. al. "Alterations in Abundance and Compartmentalization of miRNAs in Blood Plasma Extracellular Vesicles and Extracellular Condensates during HIV/SIV Infection and Its Modulation by Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC)." Viruses, 15(3), (2023) . doi: 10.3390/v15030623
• Kopcho S, McDew-White M, Naushad W, et. al. "SIV Infection Regulates Compartmentalization of Circulating Blood Plasma miRNAs within Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) and Extracellular Condensates (ECs) and Decreases EV-Associated miRNA-128." Viruses, 15(3), (2023) . doi: 10.3390/v15030622

View All Publications

Recent Presentations

• Standing member, HIV Molecular Virology, Cell Biology and Drug Development (HVCD) NIH study section
• NIDA, Special Emphasis panel
• Division of AIDS, Behavioral, and Population Sciences (DABPS), AIDS & AIDS-Related Research (AARR)
• HIV Comorbidities and Clinical Studies Study Section (HCCS),
• ZRG1 MDCN-G (58) R - PAR: Exosomes and SUDs (Teleconference)
• ZDA1 HXO-H (02) R Assessing the Effects of Cannabinoids on HIV-Induced Inflammation (Teleconference)
• Molecular Neuropharmacology and Signaling Study Section (MNPS)

Professional Service

Select Editorial Work:

• Scientific Reports Editor   
• Viruses Special Issue Editor: Viruses and Extracellular Vesicles

Select Manuscript Review Activities:

• Journal of Virology
• Journal of extracellular vesicles
• FEBS Letters
• Scientific Reports
• Cell Death and Diseases
• European Journal of Immunology
• Clinical & Experimental Metastasis
• Disease Models & Mechanisms
• Future Virology
• PLos One
• PLos Pathogens
• PLos Neglected Tropical Diseases
• Virology- Elsevier
• Virology- BMC
• Recent Patents on Biomarkers
• BMC Veterinary Research
• BMC Biology
• Bentham Science Publishers
• Medicines
• Human Reproduction
• International Journal of Virology and AIDS
• Point Journal of Medicine and Medical Research (PJMMR)
• Emerging Microbes & Infections
• Journal of Agriculture and Biodiversity Research (JABR)
• African Journal of Microbiology Research

Memberships and Affiliations

• American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
• American Society for Virology (ASV) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee
• American Association of Immunologists (AAI)
• American Society for Exosomes and Microvesicles (ASEMV)
• American Society for biochemistry and microbiology (ASBMB)
• American Society for Reproductive Immunology (ASRI)

Teaching Responsibilities

• Pathogens and Host Defense (small group interactive session)
• Biology and Pathogenesis of Viruses
• Responsible Conduct in Research GRD500 course (authorship, facilitator)
• Selected Topics in Pharmacology (seminar)
• Cell and Tissue Biology (signaling via Extracellular Vesicles)
• Biochemical Lab Techniques