AUSTIN, TX, October 01, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Akwasi Minta has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who. biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Dr. Minta has established a distinguished career as a chemist and scientist specializing in the design and synthesis of fluorescent ion indicators for research in screening, drug discovery, pharmacology and general life sciences. He started this specialization, which may be called Modern Fluorescent Calcium/Ion Indicators by creating the first green fluorescent calcium indicator, Fluo-3, and orange/red calcium indicator, Rhod-2, and the first fluorescent sodium indicator, SBFI, with the 2008 Nobel Laureate, the late Dr. Roger Tsien, who invented the backbone for all fluorescent calcium indicators called BAPTA (BisAminoPhenylethylTetraAcetic acid), at the University of California Berkeley from 1982 to 1987.

In 2022, Dr. Minta authored "Asante Calcium Red-2 (ACR-2), Known Commercially as ICR (Ionbiosciences Calcium Red)," a scientific memoir that contains the first true red emitting fluorescent calcium in the cytosol, in an effort to move the technology from green to red fluorescence as a legacy product. The product was made in response to a review article by a French Scientist, Dr. Martin Oheim, who decried the absence of any useful red fluorescent calcium indicator since they (the late Dr. Tsien and Dr. Minta) introduced the first green fluorescent calcium indicator in 1985 to 2014. Dr. Oheim reviewed all the red fluorescence calcium indicators, and Dr. Minta's book contains all of them and their flaws. Dr. Minta's memoir is only a small part of the book which contains the history and development of modern fluorescent calcium indicators from 1982 to 1922. He has included the two red fluorescent calcium indicators developed since 2014, namely MAPCA and Calbryte 630. This book, available on Amazon, stands as a testament to his lifelong commitment to innovation and scientific progress.

Dr. Minta retired in 2021 after serving as research director at Ion Biosciences from 2018 to 2021. In this capacity, he continued to advance the development of fluorescent indicators, guiding research teams and overseeing projects that built upon his earlier inventions.

From 1992 to 2018, Dr. Minta was the founder and leader of Texas Fluorescence Laboratories (TEF Labs) in Austin, Texas. Under his direction, TEF Labs became a prominent provider of fluorescence-based research tools, furthering the commercialization and application of his patented indicators for calcium and sodium detection.

Prior to establishing TEF Labs, Dr. Minta was a research fellow at the University of Texas at Austin from 1990 to 1992. During this period, he collaborated with Dr. Martin Poenie, a colleague of his from the Berkeley years in the department of zoology to invent and patent new indicators for calcium and sodium, expanding the toolkit available for cellular imaging and analysis.

From 1987 to 1990, Dr. Minta contributed to Molecular Probes—now part of ThermoFisher Scientific—in Oregon. There, he played an instrumental role in bringing all the new fluorescent indicator products from the late Dr. Tsien's research group at the university of California (Berkeley) to market, ensuring their widespread adoption by researchers worldwide.

Dr. Minta's chemistry career started with identification and synthesis of alkaloids at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, synthesis and biosynthesis of alkaloids in Christ's College, Cambridge, synthesis of cardiotonic steroids at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, NB, Canada and enzymatic stereochemical identification of methionine using NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) at Rice University in Houston.

Throughout his career, Dr. Minta has been recognized for inventing novel molecules and securing patents for groundbreaking indicators that have transformed scientific research methodologies. His achievements have earned him membership in esteemed organizations such as the British Chemical Society and the Biochemical Society.

Dr. Minta's academic foundation includes a Doctor of Philosophy in organic chemistry from the University of Cambridge in England, conferred in 1977. He previously earned both a master's degree and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, completing his master's program in 1974, where he discovered a natural product, an alkaloid with a cyclopropane ring, which he called Rubesamide.

His scholarly contributions include publication of several articles at all the places he enjoyed his chemistry adventures authoring "Asante Calcium Red-2 (ACR-2)," which details the development and impact of his signature invention. Beyond his professional pursuits, Dr. Minta has demonstrated civic engagement through volunteer service at Brackenridge Hospital in Austin Texas and by giving back to various community initiatives.

On a personal level, Dr. Minta is dedicated to family life with his wife and their three children. He enjoys soccer and spending time with loved ones. As he approaches his eightieth year, Dr. Minta is focused on sharing his legacy through increased exposure to his book while enjoying a well-earned period of relaxation after decades of travel and scientific achievement.

For more information, visit https://mintascientificmemoir.com/.

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