Abuja: Prof. Stephen Adefegha has received the Gold Medalist Life Sciences, 2025 for his research on brain-protective foods from the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS). Prof. Jonathan Babalola, Chairman of the NAS Science Prize Committee, announced this in a statement he issued in Abuja. Adefegha is a professor of Biochemistry at the Federal University of Technology, Akure.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the NAS Gold Medal was instituted by the academy in 2016 and is aimed at awarding deserving Nigerian scientists who have conducted research of national relevance and global significance in science. The award, an annual event, alternates between Life and Physical Sciences and consists of a medal, a certificate, and a cash reward.
Adefegha’s research focused on how the food consumed by humans and certain natural substances found in foods, known as bioactives, could help protect the brain. These foods and bioactive compounds may help slow down or prevent damage to the brain that could lead to memory loss, dementia, or other age-related problems.
Professor Adefegha is being recognized for his work on functional foods and nutraceuticals, specifically for exploring and utilizing the neuroprotective properties of bioactive food components such as phenolic acid, flavonoids, alkaloids, and essential oils. His research provides a biochemical and molecular basis for neuroprotection and emphasizes the critical roles of food and food bioactives in managing and preventing neuro-degeneration.
Babalola explained that neuro-degeneration is a condition characterized by the progressive impairment of neuronal functions and structural damage, which can lead to cell death. Adefegha demonstrated that Moringa spp alkaloid extracts mitigated paraquat-induced neurotoxicity in Drosophila melanogaster, commonly known as fruit flies.
Babalola stated that Adefegha would receive the Gold Medal from the academy during its seventh NAS annual scientific conference in early 2026. Established in 1977, NAS was set up to promote the growth, acquisition, and dissemination of scientific knowledge and to facilitate its use in solving problems of national interest and shaping the nation’s scientific policy path.