Dr. Eric Aniogo
AN ALUMNUS WITH A PASSION FOR GROUND BREAKING RESEARCH
If there was someone with a passion for developing research in cancer, it has to be Dr. Eric Aniogo. Born in Nigeria, the 34-year-old academic is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Johannesburg’s Laser Research Centre. His research interest is in cancer, cell biology, biotechnology, photobiology, and photochemistry with specific reference to multidrug-resistant cancer. His research primarily concerns how cancer develops resistance to therapies and ways to prevent this. He’s excited about the possibility that he can “somehow use a laser to excite and treat cancer cells in a new treatment modality called photodynamic therapy.” His master’s dissertation, which he completed and submitted in 2017, investigates the synergistic effect of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy on breast cancer cells. His Ph.D. thesis, completed in 2020, is titled Phototoxic effect of a photosensitizer on resistant breast Cancer Cells. He is currently enrolled in a two-year postdoctoral research program focused on the genetic expression characterization of breast cancer cells resistant to photodynamic therapy.
Aniogo’s interest in translational medicine – medicine that improves human health through transferring clinical and laboratory research into medical practice – birthed the zeal to understand why cancer recurs after treatment. His passion for novel discovery fuels his ambition to be a pioneer in his research. At the same time, his specialisation in oncology was motivated by his empathetic nature to care for the underprivileged and his desire to make an impact that would benefit people affected by the disease.
Featured among the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans in the science and technology category, Aniogo said he has a goal to expand his horizons and forge new professional connections. “I have a career goal to become a global biomedical scientist with diverse research skills to establish my lab and fulfil my aspiration of making an impact in cancer research that will benefit cancer patients,” he said.
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ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
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