“Investigating Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) for Cancer treatment”
University
University of Nairobi
Area of Focus
Biochemistry
Education
Margaret Murage is a lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Kabianga, Kenya, and a PhD student in Biochemistry at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Margaret holds an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the University of Nairobi, where she graduated with First-Class Honours and was recognised as the Best Overall Student in the College of Health Sciences and Best final year student in the school of medicine. She also was awarded the Kamala Memorial Prize and the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi Trustee Fund Prize for Best Final Year Student in the School of Medicine. She went on to complete an MSc in Biochemistry at the same university in 2014. Margaret has published several articles in journals including, International Journal of Food Science, has published a patent (KE/P/2015/002247), and attended a number of conferences and training at the national and international level, including the School on Biophysical Approaches to Macromolecules and Cells at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology in Tanzania, and a training on Photodynamic Therapy at Rhodes University in South Africa.
Research & Work
Margaret is deeply passionate about cancer treatment. Her research investigates drug development in Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), a treatment that combines light energy with a drug (photosensitizer) to destroy cancerous and precancerous cells. Photodynamic therapy has been shown to be a cost-effective and quality treatment option with minimal side effects, if any, unlike the severe side effects experienced in conventional therapies such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Through her research, Margaret hopes to contribute towards finding a cure for certain cancers, helping tackle the global cancer scourge.
