CENTRIC aims to be at the forefront of nano-enabled therapies

CENTRIC aims to be at the forefront of nano-enabled therapies

8 April 2026 - Wits University

New Centre for Nanopharmaceutical Translational Research in Infectious Diseases, Cancer and Neurotherapeutics (CENTRIC) to focus on nanopharmaceutical systems.

This SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC)-funded unit, CENTRIC, will focus on the microscopic particles engineered to carry active drug molecules directly to where they are needed in the body.

Conventional drug delivery often falls short in certain areas because medicines cannot reach the right site in sufficient concentrations, or because side effects limit their use. Nanosystems hold promise across the disease spectrum, from infectious diseases to cancer and neurological conditions.

The granting of CENTRIC as a SAMRC-funded unit will significantly advance how medicines are designed and delivered to patients.

CENTRIC is housed within the Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform (WADDP).

"Working with nanopharmaceutical systems allows us to target diseased tissue more precisely and reduce harmful side effects," says Professor Lisa du Toit, who leads CENTRIC. The goal, she says, is also to develop them so they can move through the clinical pipeline and into real-world use. This also means considering manufacturability and regulatory frameworks.

"While nanomedicine has been explored globally for decades, a key challenge has been translating promising laboratory findings into viable treatments, and CENTRIC can address some of these gaps," says Professor Yahya Choonara, WADDP's director.

Choonara says that ongoing and planned work includes nanosystems for targeted cancer therapies, advanced delivery platforms for infectious diseases, and emerging neuropharmaceutical approaches.

One area of interest is ocular delivery, where nanosystems could enable more precise treatment of eye diseases, including vaccine delivery.

CENTRIC innovation pipeline

CENTRIC's research will span in vitro and in vivo studies, with a clear trajectory towards intellectual property development, pilot-scale manufacturing, and early-stage clinical translation. The platform's capabilities include Good Manufacturing Practice-aligned development and the potential to support first-in-human studies.

"We have world-class laboratories and the ability to compete internationally. The next step is ensuring that what we develop is relevant locally and can be taken forward into real solutions," says du Toit.

CENTRIC will serve as a training hub, supporting postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers. The unit will also collaborate with clinical specialists in infectious diseases and oncology, as well as with partner institutions including the University of Limpopo, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, and the University of Pretoria. These partnerships are aimed at strengthening national capacity and ensuring broader participation in pharmaceutical innovation.

Work within CENTRIC will also draw on advanced modelling approaches, including 3D cell culture systems, to better predict the behaviour of nanopharmaceuticals in complex biological environments.

The establishment of CENTRIC is part of WADDP's longer-term vision to build a set of interconnected research capabilities. "The aim is to integrate specialised units like CENTRIC into a broader system of capabilities," says Choonara.