Pretoria - Poverty-related diseases will be the focus of Africa's first Nanomedicine Workshop.
The five day workshop, titled Nanomedicine for infectious diseases of poverty - perspectives and possibilities, is scheduled to take place from March 27 to 31 in the Magaliesberg.
It is estimated that approximately 14 million people die annually due to poverty related diseases including malaria, tuberculosis, human African trypanosomiasis, chagas disease as well as HIV and Aids.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is hosting the workshop in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology.
Leading researchers in nanomedicine from developed countries have been invited to join top African researchers working on new therapies against infectious diseases of poverty as well as African politicians and decision makers that directly affect research, and representatives from the United Nations, World Health Organisation, European Union and African Union.
Nanomedicine (the medical application of nanotechnology), is a rapidly advancing area of biomedical research. It shows great potential to radically revolutionise new and current treatments for infectious diseases of poverty, as it has for diseases such as cancer.
Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor will officially open the workshop at the Alpha Conference Centre in Amanzingwe Lodge.
