Me Nafiisah Chotun is one of three female researchers at Stellenbosch University (SU) who were included in a group of only 14 women acknowledged as some of the best researchers in sub-Saharan Africa. They each received a L'Oreal-UNESCO Regional Fellowship For Women in Science (FWIS) in Sub-Saharan Africa at a ceremony held in Johannesburg on 28 September 2016.

Dr Raquel Garcia of SU's Faculty of Science was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship. Chotun and Ms Penelope Drobowsky, also from Science, were each awarded a doctoral fellowship.

Chotun, a PhD candidate in the Division of Medical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is investigating the risk profile of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver cancer of a previously unscreened population from the Western Cape Province.

Patients with chronic HBV infection develop liver cancer decades after the infection. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a different disease pattern of malignant evolution is observed, as the disease presents early, often in men in young- and mid-adulthood.

"My PhD project consists of three studies exploring different aspects of HBV-related liver cancer in an African context," Chotun explained.

She is using different deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing techniques to identify genetic markers contributing to liver cancer that have not yet been characterised in SSA for the first study.

For the second study, she is using a point-of-care test to determine the prevalence of HBV in a group of otherwise healthy South Africans. She will also be evaluating the acceptance of the test and the main reasons for refusing testing. The results of this study will provide scientific evidence to support a roll-out of targeted HBV screening in a resource-limited setting akin to studies done to facilitate the roll-out of HIV testing.

"Chronic HBV infection is asymptomatic, allowing the disease to progress to cancer that is often diagnosed too late for treatment. This is why the implementation of routine HBV screening in the general population is so important," Chotun explained.

For the third study, she will perform whole exome sequencing (targeting the protein-coding regions of the human genome) on patients with early-onset liver cancer to identify any mutations that could have predisposed them to develop the cancer. "These findings will form the groundwork for the development of an algorithm to identify those most at risk of developing liver cancer so that they may receive timely testing and treatment," Chotun said.

"This award is an opportunity for me to draw the public's attention to the research we are doing on HBV and will hopefully create more awareness on the topic, especially as this is a neglected disease in sub-Saharan Africa, despite its devastating consequences," Chotun emphasised. It furthermore strengthened her conviction that she is doing meaningful research that could benefit the African population.

"As a PhD student, you often think that you are the only one who finds it worthwhile. However, the award jury is objective and their decision to choose my project out of the almost 400 submitted applications was a definite vote of confidence in the value of my research."

Chotun hails from the Republic of Mauritius where she completed her schooling at the Queen Elizabeth College. She then went to India to study towards a BSc degree at the University of Bangalore and decided further her postgraduate studies in South Africa. After she completed her Honours degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, she joined the research team at SU's Division of Medical Virology where she obtained her Masters degree and is currently working towards a PhD.

L'Oréal-UNESCO

Since 1998, the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Programme has supported more than 2 250 women scientists worldwide. The recently launched manifesto For Women in Science has already been signed by numerous people across the world. This manifesto aims to take a stand against the under-representation of women in the science. It is available on http://www.forwomeninscience.com to everyone who would like to support this cause.

Photo: Ms Nafiisah Chotun, next to the poster she presented at the Women in Science function.