Oluwatosin O. Dada, research assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received the Best Paper Award 2010 from the journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry for his publication titled, “Capillary array isoelectric focusing with laser-induced fluorescence detection: milli-pH unit resolution and yoctomole mass detection limits in a 32-channel system.” Dada, a native of Nigeria, received his bachelor’s degree in industrial chemistry from Olabisi Onabanjo University in Nigeria, and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Utah State University. He has worked since 2008 in the laboratory of Norman Dovichi, the Grace-Rupley Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry on ultrasensitive capillary electrophoresis instrumentation for bioanalysis.
Dada developed a 32-capillary isoelectric focusing instrument with unusually high performance, providing unprecedented throughput that allows the analysis of 60 samples per hour. The technology will find wide application, including characterization of recombinant and therapeutic proteins, the diagnosis of disease, and the study of systems biology. His latest projects involve modification of a laser-induced fluorescence detector to generate a 12-order of magnitude dynamic range in capillary electrophoresis and the application of the photothermal microscopy to characterize human bone.
