Results from Dr Dhireshan Singh’s PhD in Biochemistry at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) have assisted in breaking new ground in the field of gene editing and cancer therapy.
Singh’s academic journey was shaped early on by a fascination with the building blocks of life. “One of my dreams has always been to become a genetic engineer owing to my fascination with DNA and how it codes life,” he said. This passion led him to pursue postgraduate studies under UKZN’s Professor Mogie Singh, whose research focus aligned closely with his interests.
Said Singh: “Prof Singh is one of the few researchers in South Africa whose research focuses on non-viral drug and gene delivery. Once I completed my master’s degree with her and when I proposed my research topic to synergise the CRISPR/Cas9 platform with selenium nanoparticles as a PhD project, she was very excited to use the infamous CRISPR/Cas9 platform in our research.”
Dhireshan Singh’s research tackled one of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine: developing more effective cancer treatments. The thesis is titled: ‘CRISPR/Cas9-mediated IDH1 Gene Alteration to Induce SeNP Vector Toxicity in Cancer Cells In Vitro’.
“My research involved the designing of a CRISPR/Cas9 platform to alter the Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 gene to recreate the vulnerabilities associated with cancer cells with the mutation and develop a selenium nanoparticle to deliver and to exploit these vulnerabilities, to create a novel cancer treatment,” he said.
The study identified the CRISPR/Cas9 platform designed to act as a stand-alone therapeutic in stressed cells and synergise with selenium nanoparticles to recreate conditions of hyper-selenium supplementation and reduce protein levels in surviving cancer cells under low-dose levels of selenium treatment.
“The mechanisms of the findings have yet to be identified in current literature, providing novel opportunities in developing an ‘all-in-one’ cancer treatment therapy that could theoretically be used against any cancer cell,” he said.
Singh’s interest in this highly specialised field was inspired by both science and imagination. “My motivation came from my interests as a child watching superhero movies and learning about the world around me through science,” he said.
The significance of his research lies in its originality and potential impact. The study utilises a novel concept of using CRISRP/Cas therapies in conjunction with innate properties of nanoparticle delivery systems to develop possible alternative treatments for cancer.
“Our study was the first both to deliver CRISPR/Cas9 in a plasmid form using selenium nanoparticles and synergise the chemotherapeutic function of selenium nanoparticles with gene editing using CRISPR/Cas9,” he explained.
Professor Mogie Singh echoed this sentiment, noting the ground-breaking nature of the work. She commented that his research was “very novel, focusing on CRISPR-Cas gene editing using selenium nanoparticles, something that has not been undertaken before in South Africa or, perhaps, elsewhere, as also mentioned by the external examiners.”
Singh remains committed to advancing the frontiers of genetic engineering. “I’d like to continue my research into gene editing hoping that one day I will become a scientist at the forefront of genetic engineering research,” he said.
He acknowledged the support system that sustained him throughout his academic journey, especially his family.
Outside the laboratory, Singh maintains a diverse range of interests, including riding motorbikes, fishing, breeding snakes, streaming PlayStation games, and aquascaping.
Words: Sally Frost
Photograph: Sethu Dlamini