Nanomedicine's potential

Nanomedicine (the medical application of nanotechnology), is a rapidly advancing area of biomedical research. It shows great potential to radically revolutionise new and current treatments for these infectious diseases of poverty, as it has for diseases such as cancer.

Swai says the CSIR is building a nanomedicine platform, where research on the application of nanomedicine for improving therapies against malaria and HIV/Aids has been initiated.

She explains: "Using TB as a model, our research group at the CSIR is developing targeted, nanomedicine drug delivery systems that aim to improve the current inadequate therapeutic management of TB. We have successfully nanoencapsulated four first line anti-TB drugs into polymeric nanoparticles. When compared to free drugs, the encapsulated drugs were slowly released over six days while maintaining the minimum inhibitory concentration; were not toxic to cells; and when administered to TB-infected mice once weekly, showed comparable efficacy to equal doses of free drugs, administered daily. We aim to expand our research to include other infectious diseases of poverty like chagas diseases, HAT and leishmaniasis."

Funding - a challenge

According to Swai, there is a general reluctance of pharmaceutical companies to readily invest in research for infectious diseases of poverty, mainly due to the low potential return on investment. The CSIR's TB nano drug delivery project has been funded and supported mainly by the DST. Some of the platform's other research projects and initiatives have been supported by the CSIR itself and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations Fund.

"We find ourselves in a unique position in Africa; we have built a substantial knowledge base in human capital, equipment, facilities and infrastructure in nanomedicine. Given our advantage, we see an urgent responsibility to contribute our knowledge in this field towards finding new and alternative therapies against infectious diseases of poverty," says Swai.

Towards this goal, since nanomedicine is still a new field of research in Africa, part of the CSIR nanomedicine platform strategy is to host a closed workshop, to sensitise other African researchers on the potential of the technology. Leading researchers in nanomedicine from developed countries have been invited to join the top African researchers working on new therapies against infectious diseases of poverty; as well as African politicians and decision makers that directly affect research; and representatives from the United Nations, World Health Organization, European Union and African Union.

Says Swai: "These groups will intensively review the most important advances being made in the industry, as well as commercial, regulatory and legal issues facing the successful commercialisation of nanomedical technologies, and how to advance nanomedicine in the rest of Africa. The workshop is closed to meet with certain objectives for this first meeting and because of funding constraints. However, transcripts will be made available and we plan to open future meetings to other interested parties."

The workshop, to be held from 27 to 31 March this year at the Alpha Conference Centre at Amanzingwe Lodge, Magaliesberg, will be officially opened by South Africa's minister of science and technology, Mrs Naledi Pandor.