Nordic Winner: Nicko Widjaja – Fatty Bone Investigation: Sweet Bones Are Made of This

The Nordic region’s 3MT champion, Nicko Widjaja, a Doctoral Researcher from the University of Turku’s Doctoral Programme in Molecular Medicine (TuDMM), captured the audience’s attention with his intriguing presentation titled “Fatty Bone Investigation: Sweet Bones Are Made of This.” As a researcher at the Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nicko is exploring the complex relationship between bone health and fat tissue. His work investigates how the metabolic pathways responsible for fat storage in the body also influence bone density and overall bone health, challenging traditional ideas of bone biology.

In his presentation, Nicko explained how disruptions in the communication between bone and fat cells may contribute to diseases such as osteoporosis and obesity.

“I’m deeply honored by this recognition,” said Widjaja. “The 3MT competition has given me an excellent opportunity to share my research with a broader audience, and I am

Southern Region Winner: Odifentse M. Lehasa – Break to Build: Fragment-based Design of New Hypertension Drugs Aided by Artificial Intelligence

From the Southern region, Odifentse M. Lehasa, a researcher at the University of Johannesburg’s , Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, was awarded the Southern 3MT prize for her presentation “Break to Build: Fragment-based Design of New Hypertension Drugs Aided by Artificial Intelligence.” Odifentse’s research focuses on a novel approach to designing more effective drugs for hypertension, one of the world’s leading causes of cardiovascular diseases.

Her innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) to drive fragment-based drug design stood out during the competition. Odifentse’s work leverages AI algorithms to identify potential small molecular fragments that can be used to develop more targeted, efficient, and safer medications for treating high blood pressure. By breaking down existing drugs into their basic building blocks, his research opens the door to the creation of new drugs that could dramatically improve treatment outcomes for millions of people suffering from hypertension.

“The integration of AI in drug design is an exciting and rapidly evolving field,” said Lehasa. “Winning the Southern region 3MT award is a great honor, and I hope my work inspires further advancements in AI-driven healthcare solutions.”

The SANORD 3MT Competition: A Celebration of Global Research Excellence

The SANORD 2024 3MT competition was a celebration of the exceptional research being carried out in both the Nordic and Southern African regions. By offering researchers a platform to distill their research into a format that is both informative and engaging, the competition highlights the importance of effective science communication and fosters international collaboration among emerging scholars.

The success of both Nicko Widjaja and Odifentse M. Lehasa underscores the caliber of doctoral research being conducted at their respective institutions—the University of Turku and the University of Johannesburg—and their contributions to advancing scientific knowledge across diverse fields, from molecular medicine to AI in healthcare.