Investment into early detection of diseases boosts Rhodes
Rhodes University is boosting its Nanotechnology Innovation Centre (NIC) with state of the art equipment worth millions of rands, making it one of the most advanced of its kind within a single facility in a university environment in Africa and beyond.
The Centre now boasts a new R17million time of flight mass spectrometer, the only one in Africa, and a R7-million liquid chromatography mass spectrometer. In addition, the zoology and entomology department has now relocated to a new building with even better facilities at a price of R120-million, while the biochemistry and microbiology laboratories are being renovated at a cost of R48-million.
The NIC is one of three centres for innovation nationally that were opened by the department of science and technology in 2014 as national facilities to co-ordinate and promote nanotechnology. Rhodes University focuses specifically on health.
According to the director for the centre, multi-award winning scientist Professor Tebello Nyokong, “People say this is a poor province and nothing good will come out of it, but we are conducting cutting-edge research and training young nano-scientists and technologists using the best equipment in Africa, making us the hub of nanotechnology.”
The centre is utilised not only by Rhodes students and professional staff, but also by all Eastern Cape universities and national universities such as the University of the Western Cape, University of KwaZulu Natal, University of Johannesburg, the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Mintek.
“It also serves international researchers from countries such as Kuwait, Turkey and China, partners who consider this centre the best on the continent,” enthused Nyokong.
The Rhodes NIC sensor division focuses on conducting fundamental and applied research towards using nanotechnology to design sensors for early detection of human diseases such as cancer. In addition, the advanced equipment will be used in the fields of pollution treatment, green chemistry, forensic sciences and biotechnology and could be geared towards energy and sustainable development.
According to minister of science and technology Naledi Pandor, nanotechnology has a critical role to play in the future of South Africa. “It is a key tool for industrial development and as a means to improve the lives of ordinary people through more efficient health care services, safe water at a low-cost and clean energy”.
As Rhodes continues to fly the country’s flag and take its place in the world, we see more scientists and scholars coming to our shores and our scenic province of the Eastern Cape becoming a significant nanotechnology hub in the country.