Fatunbi, a researcher in Chemistry and Biochemistry, studies how bacteria sense and respond to their environment at the molecular level. His current work focuses on Shigella, the bacterium responsible for shigellosis — a severe intestinal infection that causes diarrhoea, fever, abdominal cramps, and dehydration, often leading to seizures or death in children if left untreated.
At the core of his research are RNA thermometers — specialised RNA structures that allow bacteria to detect environmental changes.
“RNA thermometers act like molecular sensors,” Fatunbi explained. “They detect environmental changes such as temperature, turning bacterial genes on or off when conditions inside the human body become favourable for infection.”
Building on this concept, Fatunbi’s latest research explores protonation — the attachment of a proton to RNA components — as another critical way bacteria adapt to acidic gut environments. His findings suggest that protonation may serve as a molecular “switch,” triggering the same infection-related genes controlled by RNA thermometers, but in response to changes in pH rather than temperature.
“Protonation isn’t just a chemical reaction; it’s the bacteria’s alarm system for infection,” he said. “When the gut environment becomes acidic, these switches flip on and trigger toxin production. My goal is to understand in detail the protonation mechanism of Shigella’s RNA thermometer so that it can be precisely targeted in the search for new antimicrobial drugs.”
Using advanced spectroscopic and computational techniques, Fatunbi investigates how proton shifts reshape RNA structure and function — insights that could inform the design of therapies capable of disrupting bacterial communication without damaging human cells.
He argues that understanding such environment-responsive RNA mechanisms could help clinicians deploy antibiotics more strategically and slow the spread of resistance.
“We tend to chase broad-spectrum drugs, but bacteria evolve faster than we can develop them,” he noted. “By targeting the regulators that control infection rather than killing the cells outright, we can stay one step ahead.”
Fatunbi’s scientific journey began over a decade ago with microbial research in Nigeria, before advancing to molecular-level investigations in the United States. A recipient of the U.S. Department of State’s EducationUSA Opportunity Funds Program, he graduated with top honours in Pure and Applied Chemistry from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso.
For him, the pursuit of science is deeply personal.
“Science becomes personal when it addresses the suffering you’ve seen firsthand,” he said. “In Nigeria, drug-resistant infections are not statistics — they’re stories of families losing loved ones because effective treatment came too late.”
According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance could cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050 if left unchecked. The threat is especially grave in low- and middle-income countries, where nearly 80% of infections go undiagnosed or untreated.
Fatunbi believes that raising public awareness is just as critical as scientific discovery.
“Awareness in communities can change outcomes,” he emphasized. “If we understand how bacteria fight back, we can design smarter solutions and save more lives.”