Current Research Focus:  Understanding fibrosis, treatment targets and novel therapeutic agents in cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Afolake Arowolo was a senior research scientist and lecturer at the University of Cape Town and was recently appointed (November 2023). She obtained her PhD in Biochemistry at Rhodes University in 2012. She also trained post-PhD in molecular laboratories abroad (PFCCB, Institut Pasteur, Paris and EMBL, Germany). Her research interests are in applying functional genomics, nanobiotechnology, molecular biology and enzymology to understand the molecular basis of diseases (hypertension, cancer, fibrosing hair and skin diseases and cardiovascular diseases) and discover novel treatments. She is currently working on identifying novel primary or adjunct therapeutics to improve the clinical outcome of Diabetes Cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Her previous work on these topics has led to publishing over 20 peer-reviewed research articles, including a filed patent for novel inhibitors of the human 5-alpha reductase enzyme as a treatment strategy for androgenetic alopecia. She has also received several international and local research and travel grants and fellowships. She has supervised many postgraduate students to completion, including teaching and mentoring undergraduates, most of whom were from historically disadvantaged institutions in South Africa. One of her visions is to train and mentor the next generation of scientists who will significantly impact life and medical sciences.

Dr Arowolo serves on editorial boards of journals (Frontiers in Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences) and is a reviewer for journals (like Nature Scientific Reports and Stem Cells Translational Research). She regularly participates as a panel reviewer of grant applications for national and international grant awarding bodies. She is an avid believer in community engagement and outreach, specifically those targeted at women and individuals from poor socio-economic backgrounds.