Local graduate tackles chemo side effects

THOUSANDS of cancer sufferers look likely to benefit from a young local researcher’s work.

After graduating on Tuesday at the University of Zululand with a PhD in Biochemistry, Rheka Dunpall is already planning post-doctoral collaborative research after a breakthrough generated huge potential to reduce the negative side effects associated with chemotherapy and improve the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

Dedicating her years at Unizulu to discovering methods that have not yet been achieved by any other student worldwide, the young woman’s face lights up when she shares how she overcame challenges to achieve the unique results of a nanobiotechnology project.

Supervised and mentored by well-known materials chemist, Prof Neerish Revaprasadu (SARCHi Chair of Nanotechnology), she recently presented their research at the 7th international BioNanoMed 2016 conference in Austria.

The presentation explained how nanoparticles can be designed to improve already existing chemotherapies that can target cancer cells specifically.

‘It was exciting to experience the networking at international level where highly acclaimed scientists took a genuine interest in the report,’ said Rheka.

The nanoparticles showed the ability to be uptaken into the human cell and to serve as a vehicle to carry the cancer drugs directly into the abnormal cells.

The biosafety of the material was studied using various human cell lines and Sprague-dawley rat models.

Unizulu

When asked why she had studied at the University of Zululand, Rheka said that she had a chance to conduct research on an international level where she associated with collaborators from the UKZN Biomedical Resource Unit, School of Pharmacy, Medical Research Council, Mintek and Manchester University.

She is a proud alumni of Unizulu and feels that hard work and determination can overcome any difficult circumstance.

The findings were published in the prestigious and highly rated Royal Chemistry Society Journal (UK).

‘This research is unique for three reasons: the structure of the nanoparticle, the combination of materials and the method used to synthesise it,’ said Rheka.

‘It consists of a gold core and a zinc-telluride shell with a capping agent and it is the first time a structural arrangement of this nature has been discovered in the world.’

A further achievement is that they managed to register an international PCT patent.

Plans are now underway to commercialise the product once it passes the clinical studies that will follow this initial research.