Dr Lindokuhle Ngema, a postdoctoral researcher at the Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform (WADDP) has earned a place at the University of Cambridge’s Maxwell Centre for Technology Innovation Impulse Programme in partnership with the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) – for his development of a new TB treatment
The three-month programme offers early-stage innovators in technology and life sciences a series of workshops, expert mentorship, entrepreneurial support and access to investors and industry networks.
Since 2017, Impulse Programme alumni have secured more than £300 million in funding, founded over 65 companies, and created more than 1,000 jobs.
Targeted TB drug delivery
By delivering medicine directly into the respiratory tract, WADDP’s inhalable nanosystem bypasses the body’s natural barriers (the liver and bloodstream) and concentrates the drug where it is directly needed. The nanocarrier holds all four standard TB drugs in a single formulation.
“We hope this could shorten treatment time, improve adherence, and help limit the rise of drug resistance,” says Ngema.
Currently, standard TB treatment comprises four oral drugs: rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol and pyrazinamide, which are taken over six months. Ngema explains that the length of treatment, combined with side effects such as nausea, liver damage and neuropathy, often leads to poor adherence. This, in turn, allows TB to evolve into multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) forms.
“We wanted to combine the four main TB drugs in a single inhalable dose, reducing treatment time and making therapy simpler for patients,” says Ngema. “Our early results show that our single inhalable dose is a possibility. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to translate it into real-world use.”
The project was conceptualised at WADDP under Professor Yahya Choonara, whose laboratory specialises in targeted nanomedicines and advanced drug delivery systems.
Supported by a World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) fellowship, Ngema initially spent three months at RWTH Aachen University Hospital in Germany, working in Professor Twan Lemmers’ laboratory at the Institute for Experimental Molecular Imaging to optimise drug-release profiles.
“This is an incredible opportunity to get the right support on how to take our innovation from the lab into the commercial space. Our goal is always to take our research and transform it into products that reach the patients who need them,” says Choonara.
The NRF will fully fund Ngema’s participation, marking the first time it has partnered with the University of Cambridge on this initiative.
