STAFF REPORTER
Lindokuhle Cindy Nene is on course to find new treatment for cancer. Nene’s current research investigates the physicochemical properties of organic dyes, known as phthalocyanines, and their potential for treating cancer when exposed to ultrasound and light of a specific wavelength.
This type of therapy, known as sono-photodynamic combination therapy, addresses the limitations of conventional cancer treatment methodologies in that it is potentially non-invasive, cancer-specific and capable of treating both superficial and deep-seated cancers.
Nene obtained a BSc, a BSc Honours in Biochemistry and an MSc in Chemistry with distinction from Rhodes. In 2017, Nene spent two months at Japan’s Shinshu University studying synthesis of phthalocyanines. She was also awarded a bursary to conduct research on the synthesis of positron emission tomography imaging agents for the detection of non-communicative diseases at the renowned Chimie ParisTech for six months. Nene’s two published articles and one co-authored paper appeared in the respected journals Inorganica Chimica Acta, Dyes and Pigments and the New Journal of Chemistry.
