Ntombenhle Hlengiwe Gama
Ntombenhle Gama hails from KwaThema, an East Rand informal settlement. She is completing her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Pretoria, where she is also a part-time biochemistry lecturer. She completed her undergraduate studies and MSc at the University of Pretoria, where she fell in love with HIV research.
Her research focuses on the development of metal-based drugs (gold, platinum and palladium) as novel inhibitors of HIV and its associated opportunistic diseases such as TB and cancer. Her work thus brings together two fields not commonly associated with one another: mining and infectious disease control. In addition to an array of medicinal plants, Africa is endowed with a wealth of mineral resources, and it would be of great benefit if some of these resources could be used to treat the infections that plague its people.
Gama has published two articles on her work in the peer-reviewed international journal Biometals. She hopes to inspire more young people, especially black women, to reach for their dreams.