Maribel Okiye

The human oral cavity is comprised of a number of different habitats and harbors > 700 microbial species. There is much research on the relationship between the bacterial composition of salivary microbiota and various oral diseases. The synergy and interaction of variable oral microorganisms help human body against invasion of undesirable stimulation outside.¹ Moreover, the oral microbiome plays an important role in the human microbial community and human health. In recent research it’s been found that imbalances of microbial flora not only contribute to oral diseases, but can be an effective indicator for systemic diseases, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).² The use of recently developed molecular methods has greatly expanded our knowledge of the composition and function of the oral microbiome in health and disease. However, methods of which the diversity of oral microbiota is maintained and affected by various oral and systemic diseases is poorly understood. Thus, under the guidance of Dr. David Sherman, and Ashootosh Tripathi in the Natural Products Discovery Core, Maribel aims is developing a library of characterized secondary metabolites derived from the human oral biota. This library will be evaluated to further distinguish their roles in the bacterial equilibrium in the oral cavity, as well as their possible connection to other systemic diseases.

Outside the lab Maribel takes part in various extracurricular activities. She is an executive board member for two of Rackham’s largest student organizations, Rackham Student Government and Student of Color of Rackham. In addition, Maribel serves as a mentor for high school students in Ann Arbor, Michigan’s Public-School System, whilst volunteering in miRcore, a non-profit organization that supports high school biology curriculums by exposing public high school students to current biotechnology through various field trips and summer camp experiences. Beyond her mentoring, Maribel is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., which is a predominately African American Greek-lettered sorority composed of college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that target the black community. In addition, she actively trains in CrossFit. She is currently training for the Spartan Race, which a series of obstacle races of varying distance and difficulty ranging from 3 miles to marathon distances.