A Second Home

UT Tyler Grad Finds Familiarity at Fisch College of Pharmacy

Although he is far from his native home off the African Ivory Coast, Elanzou “Alvin” Enoh found a second home in East Texas at UT Tyler. Hailing from the city of Abidjan, Enoh moved to the United States five years ago to continue his education. When looking for a state institution that boasted strong undergraduate programing and a pharmacy school, he looked no further than UT Tyler.

After transferring from a community college, Enoh graduated from the University in May 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in biology and is now a P1 student at the Fisch College of Pharmacy.

He credits UT Tyler for giving him a solid foundation for a successful career as a pharmacist, noting that the University provides the necessary resources for those who are willing to learn.

“The professors are great, easily accessible, willing to help and provide the best educational experience possible,” Enoh said. “My plant biology class also gave me a taste of the team-based learning style that is highly practiced in the pharmacy college.”

He also enjoys the community atmosphere of both the college and University.

“UT Tyler provides a great environment for students,” Enoh said. “Arriving on campus is like going to a neighborhood where you know everybody.”

Like Father, Like Son

Enoh saw an example of what a pharmacist can do to help others in his father, who happens to be a community pharmacist himself working in Abidjan.

“I’ve always been my father’s biggest fan,” Enoh said. “I have witnessed how he has been helping people through his job. To help others like him would be a wonderful achievement for me.”

The African pharmacopeia is very rich, according to Enoh, and excessive self-medication and the illegal sale of medicines is an issue in the Ivory Coast, particularly among people below poverty line.  In Africa, even after receiving a doctor's prescription, people still use home remedies and certain plants because of cultural upbringing. Consequently, Enoh said, some sell these remedies without expertise and sometimes with wrong dosage that could negatively affect their client’s health.

Enoh said he wants to help control the issue and inform the Ivory Coast communities.

“A pharmacist is a medication expert, so I’m also planning to get the knowledge to help people get the best result from their medications, especially for people in Africa,” he said. “A healthy population is a powerful one, so if I can contribute to that, it will definitely be very fulfilling.”

Conducting Fundamental Cancer Research

As a UT Tyler undergraduate student researcher, Enoh conducted fundamental cancer research led by Dr. May Abdelaziz, assistant professor in the UT Tyler Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Enoh said out of all research opportunities available as a biology major, her research attracted him the most and remains one of the best experiences he has had at UT Tyler.

In Abdelaziz’s lab, Enoh learned many techniques in molecular biology and protein chemistry as well as expressing protein targets for drug discovery. His project focused on optimizing the expression of an enzyme called heparanase in insect cells. This enzyme is active in cancer patients and helps cancer cells move and metastasize in the body.

“Our goal was to express this enzyme in the lab in a pure form so we can test different compounds and discover an inhibitor that can stop metastasis,” said Abdelaziz, who worked with Enoh from September 2018 ­through March 2019. This research is important because of the high mortality rates attributed to metastasis, Abdelaziz said.

“When we are able to discover inhibitors that selectively target this enzyme, we can halt the cancer cell’s ability to migrate in the body and form secondary tumors, which is what really kills cancer patients,” she added.

Abdelaziz said Enoh took pride in his work and was “always cheerful and ready to learn.”

“I am thrilled that Alvin has joined FCOP and will pursue his dream of following in his father’s footsteps and become a pharmacist,” she said. “With his positive attitude, I am confident he will be a cheerleader and advocate for his patients and a strong pillar of his community.”

Enoh describes Abdelaziz as “the best mentor ever.”

“With all the patience she had, Dr. Abdelaziz helped me grow and gain scientific and experimental knowledge,” Enoh said. “One of her strengths was to know how to create a favorable environment for learning. Personally, it was the perfect balance – enough to feel the familial atmosphere and at the same time understand the seriousness of our work.”

The professor plans to team up with the pharmacy student once again for future research collaborations.

Another Familiar Face

When he became a pharmacy student at UT Tyler this fall, Enoh found another familiar face at the college. His sister and best friend, Kouaba “Carmen” Enoh, was also inspired by their father and is a P2 FCOP student. Carmen best describes her older brother as “perseverant, funny and kind.”

“It is nice having him around,” she said. “Alvin has always been a wonderful example for me, and I am a proud little sister. And, since we will be working in the same field, we are already making plans about future collaborations and investments in pharmacy and the healthcare field.”

Enoh agrees, noting that both support each other to reach their goal, following in their father’s footsteps to become great pharmacists.

“We study together, motivate each other and share in our struggles and celebrations. I am so proud of her,” Enoh said.

Enoh and his sister will graduate from the Fisch College of Pharmacy in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Both plan to join an international organization, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), and help those in their native Africa regulate the safe sale and delivery of medications on the Ivory Coast. In his free time, Enoh enjoys digital painting, reading, working out and playing soccer.

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