Writer: Allison Cooper

Senior Researcher in Advanced Drug Delivery at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr Bathabile Ramalapa (37), has shaped her career by demonstrating excellence in everything she does.

Her work in nanotechnology and nanomedicine, which develops drug delivery formulations that offer more patient-centric drug treatments for breast cancer and diabetes patients in Africa, saw her recently profiled as one of the first cohorts of rising stars in biotechnology in Africa at the 2022 BioAfrica Convention, which was held in Durban from 29 to 30 August 2022.

“This was a humbling experience, a stamp of approval that I am one of the leaders to look out for amongst the young women doing research in biotechnology,” she says.

As a rising star in biotechnology, she will put programmes together to develop and train young women in the field. “It’s an exciting venture that’s still in its infancy, but I can’t wait for it to launch and create a generation of young female leaders in biotech innovation,” says Ramalapa, who will partner with entities such as BioAfrica, the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), Emory University in the United States and Oxford Africa in the United Kingdom (UK).

Ramalapa has also been recognised by Inspiring Fifty, a global initiative that seeks to increase diversity in tech by recognising and amplifying the next generation of female leaders excelling in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

While her research at the CSIR initially focused on drug delivery systems for communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, she realised that there was an increase in non-communicable diseases affecting underserved African

communities.

“Available treatment regimens do not necessarily serve our people’s specific needs, due to the challenges of accessibility and affordability,” she explains.

In 2019, Ramalapa started conducting research on developing drug treatments for breast cancer and diabetes for people in Africa.

“Breast cancer and diabetes mortality rates are increasing exponentially each year in

Africa. My ultimate dream is the development and manufacturing of drug treatments and tools to manage such diseases locally and affordably,” she says.

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Ramalapa highlights that the three-year survival rate for breast cancer patients in South Africa is 56%, compared with 90% in high-income countries. “The biggest contributor to this is access to treatment, which is influenced by high costs. Our goal is to develop lower-cost treatments,” she says.

While breast cancer treatment Herceptin has only been around for a decade, insulin has been used to manage diabetes for a century. “There are challenges of access for both treatments due to their cost. The situation in low- to middle-income countries is exacerbated by the logistics involved in getting treatments to patients, and a lack of education in administering the treatment, specifically for diabetic patients who must self-administer it intravenously,” Ramalapa explains. Her research aims to address this challenge.

“The initial goal is to develop treatments that are more suited to the African climate. Ensuring that biotherapies used in the treatment of insulin and Trastuzumab [Herceptin] are effective at ambient temperature will eliminate the burden of ultracold chain logistics. This will greatly reduce the cost of getting these treatments to patients.

“The second goal is to develop alternative delivery systems for treatments. For self-administered insulin, intravenous delivery promotes patient noncompliance and some patients do not administer correctly due to a lack of education,” she explains.

A passion for innovation

Ramalapa always wanted to be a medical doctor.

“Growing up, I did not know what a scientist was and that someone like me could have the opportunity to become one. My passion for innovation attracted me to a career in STEM. I was inspired by the need to find simple and innovative ways to solve African problems. I did not like the one-size-fitsall approach to solving our problems based on what was working for the rest of the world,” she adds.

Ramalapa joined the CSIR in 2007 as an intern, after completing her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). She then worked as a CSIR researcher, from 2009 to 2013, developing drug delivery systems for TB. From 2011 to 2013, she also conducted research at the

CSIR towards her TUT MTech Chemistry degree.

In 2010, she received a Visiting Scholar Travel Grant for the University of Nottingham in the UK, where she attended a six-month course. After being a Norvatis Fellow in Switzerland in 2013, she studied towards a

PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Angers in France (2014 to 2017) while also studying for a PhD in Chemical Sciences at the University of Liege in Belgium (2015 to 2018). A European Union Nanofar Dual PhD Grant made this possible.

Following her studies, she rejoined the CSIR as a senior researcher in 2018.

Ramalapa is also involved in programmes with the DSI that foster European Union-South Africa collaborative networks and human capital development in science and technology.

She is also a member of the National Research Foundation Grant Review Committee for Chemistry and Material Sciences (2020 to 2023), and she recently started working with the

Science Diplomacy Capital for Africa, for which she will be an ambassador.

She also supervises PhD chemistry students at the University of Johannesburg and is a visiting lecturer in nanomedicine at the North West University.

A mother to two toddlers, Ramalapa spends her downtime regularly visiting play parks. “I love the outdoors and enjoy trail walks on Saturday mornings. I also enjoy champagne picnics, markets with friends and fine dining with my partner,” she says.

“Breast cancer and

diabetes mortality rates are increasing exponentially each

year in Africa.”