World leading cosmetics company, L’Oreal, recently recognised Universtiy of Pretoria medicinal plant scientist, Danielle Twilley, for her world class research into cancer therapies. Twilley studies South African indigenous plants to find cancer-treating properties.

Her research is regarded as so innovative and exceptional, that she was awarded the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science International Rising Talents Award. As part of this year’s award, Twilley spent a week in France, where she not only presented her research to an international audience of scientists, but also received training in business, media and patents.

These awards stem from the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science initiative that strives to support and recognise accomplished women researchers, to encourage more young women to enter the profession and to assist them once their careers are in progress. The Women in Science International Rising Talents award is given to the 15 best worldwide fellows from the national and regional For Women in Science programmes. Twilley was previously recognised for her breakthrough research and was awarded the L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science sub-Saharan regional doctoral fellowship in 2015.

Cancer in all its forms is a crippling and non-discriminatory illness that is so often fatal. The skin of a human being is the largest organ of the body and one in every three cancers diagnosed is a form of skin cancer. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer and is the most dangerous. Sun exposure is the main attributing factor of melanoma, with 65-86% of melanoma cases being attributed to sun exposure. The risk of developing melanoma can double after more than five sunburns. The fact that the ozone layer is constantly depleting, further accounts for the large number of melanoma cases across the world.

Melanoma is an exceptionally dangerous type of cancer because it has the ability to spread into other parts of the body, making it difficult to control and treat. Melanoma cells, like any cells in the body, need to get the necessary nutrients and oxygen in order to grow. If they are deprived of oxygen, they become hypoxic. To prevent this, melanoma cells give off signals known as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which is a type of protein that stimulates the formation of new blood vessels around the tumour cells. The formation of new blood vessels is known as angiogenesis. These blood vessels feed the cells and provide them with pathways to various parts of the body, allowing the cancer to spread.

Treating melanoma should therefore either inhibit angiogenesis so that the cancerous cells will starve or treatment should directly target the cancerous cells. There are currently no angiogenesis inhibitors for melanoma and because of the high density of blood vessels typically surrounding melanoma cells, the ability for cytotoxic drugs (drugs that are toxic to cells) to effectively enter the cancer cells is restricted.

Twilley, who works in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences’ Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, wants to change this and is finding new ways to inhibit both angiogenesis and tumour growth in melanoma cells. She is looking to traditional indigenous South African plants to find solutions. Previously, she discovered a South African plant that had significant cytotoxicity (toxic to cells) towards melanoma cells.

Her current research is what has the international community of scientists sitting up with interest. This research takes her previous work further and looks at isolated compounds and extracts from the plant to see if they are able to inhibit the VEGF (signals sent out by the tumour cells) so that angiogenesis is inhibited. The importance of this research could be a game changer in the field of melanoma treatment. Her research has reached a very exciting phase, with both the compound and extract of the plant showing positive signs of inhibiting angiogenesis. 'The pure compound appears to be able to kill the cancer cells at a much lower concentration,' explains Twilley.

While cancer treatment can be very unpleasant in terms of side effects, Twilley is also delving into the field of nanoparticles in her development of an anti-angiogenic agent in order to minimize any damage of healthy cells. Nanoparticles have certain advantages over conventional drugs in that more powerful doses can be delivered to the area of the tumour and its vascular network that needs to be targeted. Because this is a very targeted form of therapy, the treatment agent is less likely to affect healthy cells. 'Nanoparticles also tend to deliver deeper into the vascular system surrounding the melanoma cells,' explains Twilley.

Her research has already shown successful results in the in vitro phase. She will continue to look at the in vivo phase to see if positive results are found.

This phenomenal indigenous plant that is likely to change the treatment of melanoma is commonly found in South Africa and has been used in traditional medicine for years to treat skin ailments. Twilley and  the University of Pretoria are busy applying for a bioprospecting permit so that UP can licence the plant out to manufacturing companies who can then develop topical treatments from the plant. Through this project, She also aims to have local communities’ benefit. There is great potential to create a local market for community farmers who can grow these plants. This can create jobs and develop the socio-economic aspects of communities in South Africa.

Her research to develop a proudly South African melanoma lead plant extract and compound has the potential to increase the global competitiveness of South Africa as leaders in alternative methods for treatment of serious diseases like cancer. This research also has the potential to change the lives of so many people suffering from melanoma.