Masters Degree Completed Within a Year

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‘I have completed my Master’s degree within a year - I am ecstatic about my results,’ said Ms Louansha Nandlal, who was awarded a Master’s degree in Medical Science summa cum laude.

Nandlal, currently registered for her PhD degree in the Optics and Imaging Centre at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, plans to go to the NIH laboratory in the United States where she will examine a spectrum of 27 genes in congenital nephrotic syndrome in children. 

Nandlal’s Master’s research focused on HIV-associated paediatric nephrology in a study titled: “The Role of Kidney Injury Molecule-1, Interleukin-18 and Glutathione-s-Transferase (p) in Paediatric Idiopathic and HIV-Associated Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis”.

She said worldwide a significant number of children infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) are at a greater risk of developing kidney diseases. ‘Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a chronic pathological process caused by injury to podocytes in the renal glomeruli. In southern Africa, HIV-associated FSGS remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children.

‘Early detection of kidney injury is essential in identifying children undergoing the early stages of these kidney diseases as well as the effects of antiretroviral treatment on kidney toxicity. A kidney biopsy provides an accurate diagnosis of kidney injury, however, several factors limit the utility of this invasive approach. Clinical markers that are also being used to monitor kidney function include serum creatinine, proteinuria and blood urea nitrogen, however these are insensitive and non-specific markers for the diagnosis of various kidney diseases, particularly in HIV infected patients,’ said Nandlal.

‘Given the inherent limitations of these non-invasive markers, the need for additional non-invasive biomarkers for early detection of kidney disease, particularly HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN), is urgently warranted. Therefore my study determined urinary concentrations of KIM-1, IL-18 and GST-p in children with idiopathic and HIV-associated FSGS.

‘These analyses have not been examined in HIV associated nephropathy before.  My manuscript has been submitted so my findings will be globally available. The findings of this study revealed that of the urinary biomarkers examined, urinary KIM-1 levels were significantly elevated in children with HIV-associated nephropathy and may be a useful biomarker to detect kidney disease in children,’ she said.

‘I grew up in Isipingo Beach and I have lived here my entire life. I was motivated and driven from a young age to excel academically and make a name for myself in the medical world,’ added Nandlal.

Lihle Sosibo