Best international researcher
Associate Professor Mamello Sekhoacha has decades of experience in the pharmacology research field of drug discovery, and scientific development of African Traditional Medicines, for treatments of various ailments including cancer, gangrene, malaria and HIV. Her research addresses challenges of chemo resistance and chemo toxicity through discovery of new lead compounds from medicinal plants, identification of proteins and genes responsible for drug resistance and treatment failure, and development of targeted of chemotherapeutic nano delivery systems. Her research strategy couples basic sciences in pharmacology, proteomics, organic chemistry, human genetics, nanotechnology, technologically advanced models, and clinical research. Prof Sekhoacha has participated in clinical trials as a Co-Investigator, and Clinical Research Associate. She is the chairperson of the National Health Research Ethics Council of South Africa (NHREC). The NHREC is the national statutory body responsible for the governance and advance of health research ethics in the country. Prof Sekhoacha represents South Africa on the African Vaccine Regulatory Forum (AVAREF), a network of African national regulatory authorities established by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a platform for building ethics and regulatory capacity for clinical trials in Africa and promoting the harmonization of ethics and regulatory processes on the continent.