“We uncovered that the golden thread running through these diseases is inflammation and looked into how we can catch them early to prevent them from developing further.” More innovations followed whereby Pretorius – together with Professor Willie Perold, Professor Wim de Villiers, Professor Anna-Mart Engelbrecht and Kell – patented a nanobiosensor for the early detection of cancer. She and Perold also have a platelet function nanobiosensor patent. A single drop of blood can now indicate if inflammatory conditions are stirring within a person’s bloodstream, long before it actually starts. Furthermore, disease progression may be monitored more easily and at a very low cost. “A disease develops because of various factors, including genetic predisposition, so our innovations may not cure the disease. However, they may prevent it from developing further, especially if we can catch it earlier than we are catching it today,” says Pretorius. Through the use of novel techniques, Pretorius’s research and unstoppable determination, and the evolution of understanding, it seems that medicine may be on the cusp of removing these diseases forever. To date, Pretorius has filed six patents and her work has won her the 2011 African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Award, as well as the department of science and technology’s 2017 Women in Science Runner-up Award. In addition, she has published articles in several journals and her researchhas featured in New Scientist. It’s in the blood Protecting African wildlife The results intrigued Pretorius. She discussed her findings with a research collaborator, Professor Douglas Kell from The University of Manchester.