Dr. Faisal Ibrahim
Assistant Professor - Organic Chemistry

Fellow - Social and Environmental Justice Institute (SEJI), SUNY Old Westbury

 

Bio:

Faisal Ibrahim is originally from Ghana, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Chemistry with first class honors from the University for Development Studies. Faisal later moved to the US in 2014 for graduate studies. He received his master’s degree in chemistry from both East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee (2016), and University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky(2019). He completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Louisville (2021). His Ph.D. dissertation was on Catalysis in aqueous media and Lipid Nanoparticle-based siRNA delivery. Faisal was a visiting fellow at the RNA Structure & Design Section of the RNA Biology Laboratory at the National Cancer Institutes of the National Institutes of Health. In 2021, he moved to the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy for his Postdoctoral Research where he worked on Lipid Nanoparticle formulation development and LNP-based siRNA delivery of therapeutic agents to target cells.

Faisal has expertise in the field of Chemistry and specifically in the area of Synthetic Organic Chemistry and Sustainable Nano-catalysis (focusing on environmentally friendly synthetic methodology). His research targets important and fundamental questions in the field of nano-catalysis and Biomedical sciences and led to the development of a novel nonionic surfactant (PS-750-M) derived from proline, lauric acid, and mPEG to mimic hazardous amidic and ethereal solvents like DMF and siRNA delivery system. PS-750-M has been commercialized by Sigma-Aldrich with catalog # 911178 and 911151. https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/aldrich/911151.

His siRNA delivery system uses cationic lipids as a delivery agent. In this work, Faisal demonstrated the use of a uniquely designed cationic lipid (vector) to deliver siRNA into human lung cancer cells which subsequently turns down the expression of the encoded protein.

Research Interests - Synthetic Organic Chemistry

• Lipids as non-viral vectors for gene therapy

• LNP-based siRNA/mRNA delivery systems 

• LNP formulation development 

• Nano-catalysis and Green Chemistry 

• Synthetic methodology
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Education & Academic Training
Postdoc - University of Connecticut - School of Pharmacy (Pharmaceutical Sciences), 2021-2023
(Pre)postdoc - National Cancer Institutes - National Institutes of Health, 2020-2021
PhD - University of Louisville - (Organic Chemistry), 2021
MS - University of Louisville - (Organic Chemistry), 2019
MS - East Tennessee State University - (Organic Chemistry), 2016
BSc - University for Development Studies, Ghana - (Applied Chemistry), 2009