Title: Advances in nanotechnology towards targeted treatment of obesity

Biography:

Nicole Remaliah Samantha Sibuyi is a Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Western Cape, South Africa. Her research interests are on development of targeted nanotherapy for cancer and obesity. 

Abstract

The global epidemic of obesity poses a serious health concern due to its association with chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. These diseases are further associated with reduced quality of life and life expectancy, and contribute to high mortality rates. Obesity management primarily relies on pharmacotherapy to maintain a healthy body weight and prevent its progression to chronic diseases. However, the usefulness of anti-obesity drugs is limited due to poor efficacy, non-specificity and bystander effects. Therefore, novel approaches that could provide insights on obesity and obesity-associated diseases, as well as development of novel anti-obesity treatment modalities or improvement on the existing drugs are required.