The L’Oréal Foundation and UNESCO has honoured five exceptional female scientists and 15 young scientists with the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards.

 

Each laureate will receive a prize of €100,000 and honoured for her contribution in

the fields of medicine, paleontology, molecular biology, ecology and developmental

biology. Professor Heather Zar from the University of Cape Town and Red Cross

Children’s Hospital has been honoured for establishing a cutting-edge research

program on pneumonia, tuberculosis and asthma, saving the lives of many children

worldwide.

 

“In contrast to the aging populations of wealthy, developed countries, in Africa,

children make up almost 50% of the population.  Too many of them succumb to diseases that could be prevented or treated. Pneumonia affects 36 million children across Africa each year and is fatal in more than 700,000 children globally with nearly 60% of these deaths occurring in Africa,” explains Heather Zar.

 

The rate of tuberculosis infection on the continent is among the highest in the

world, and asthma affects between 10 and 20% of children.  Heather Zar has dedicated her career to improving the diagnosis and treatment of these common causes of childhood illness and mortality in her native South Africa, “I have always felt a strong commitment to work in areas where there is a real need,” she says.

 

In a continent where resources are in short supply, Professor Zar has adopted a

pragmatic approach, focusing on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases

with the greatest impact. She has developed simple tests to diagnose tuberculosis

and pneumonia in children from spit and nasal swab samples, which have been

integrated into global World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. She demonstrated

that preventative use of a common tuberculosis treatment, the antibiotic

“isoniazid”, reduced mortality by 50% and tuberculosis incidence by 70% in

HIV-infected children who were not undergoing antiretroviral therapy.

 

Heather Zar is committed to reducing health inequalities in the world. Her drive to

become a scientist began the day her aunt and uncle brought her into their

laboratory; her preoccupation with social justice came from her own parents. “Being

a pediatrician and clinician-scientist combines my desire to advance knowledge with

my need to improve children’s lives,” she reflects.

 

As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, former award winners from across the

world joined the move to support and  empower female scientist who are addressing

key issues.  2016 Laureate, Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim who was previously

honoured for her contribution to HIV/Aids prevention in young girls, was also in

attendance.  “It is spectacular to see the dedicated efforts and contributions women are making to societal transformation being showcased!” says Abdool Karim.

“Notwithstanding, the programme now in its 20th year has demonstrated unequivocally

the life changing cutting edge state of the art science that is both locally

relevant and globally important being generated by women in all disciplines across

the world.”

 

THE 2018 L’OREAL-UNESCO FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL RISING TALENTS

 

The L’Oréal Foundation and UNESCO have supported 3,022 talented young female

scientists through research fellowships. These L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science

fellowships are awarded annually at national and regional ceremonies held in 117

countries.

 

275 young women benefit from national and regional fellowships each year. Out of

these 275, the International Rising Talents programme selects the 15 most promising

scientists.

 

Danielle Twilley from the University of Pretoria received the International Rising

Talent award for research in targeting angiogenesis for the treatment of melanoma.

Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in South Africa. Melanoma is

the most dangerous type of skin cancer with approximately 86% of melanoma cases

attributed to sun exposure. She is seeking to find out whether a compound isolated

from a South African plant, which she found in previous research to have significant cytotoxicity (the quality of being toxic to cells) towards melanoma cells, is able to inhibit both angiogenesis and tumor growth.

 

To minimize damage to healthy cells while delivering powerful doses to the tumor

environment, she is developing the anti-angiogenic agent into gold nanoparticles to

target the delivery to the tumor and its vascular network. Mrs. Twilley explores

indigenous knowledge of plant-based medicines for application in skin cancer,

finding one traditionally used plant with high antioxidant content that boosts the

SPF of a sunscreen. She is highly engaged in product development, undertaking

patenting processes that assure benefits to indigenous communities, planning

clinical trials and dealing with manufacturers

Women continue to be under-represented in public and professional life particularly

in science where the glass ceiling is still a reality. Today only 28% of scientists

are women of which only 3% have been awarded Nobel Prizes for Science since the

awards began in 1901.

 

Despite this there are many eminent women scientists and raising their profile is

vital to promoting greater gender equality in science. Annually for the past 20

years, the L’Oréal Foundation has recognized five exceptional female scientists and

fifteen promising scientists in partnership with UNESCO and taken the initiative to

improve the balance of women and men in science.