The need for statistical physics in Africa: Perspective and an illustration in drug delivery problems

¹ Department of Chemistry, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, University of Dodoma 338 Dodoma, Tanzania
² Mbeya University of Science and Technology - P.O. Box 131, Mbeya, Tanzania
³ ICTP, The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics - Strada Costiera 11, 34151 Trieste, Italy
⁴ NM-AIST, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology - P.O. Box 447 Arusha, Tanzania
⁵ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, St John's University of Tanzania 47 Dodoma, Tanzania

Received: 29 April 2025
Accepted: 23 July 2025

Abstract

The development of statistical physics in Africa is in its nascent stages, yet its application holds immense promise for advancing emerging research trends on the continent. This perspective paper, a product of a two-week workshop on biophysics in Morogoro (Tanzania), aims to illuminate the potential of statistical physics in regional scientific research. We employ in-silico atomistic molecular-dynamics simulations to investigate the loading and delivery capabilities of lecithin nanolipids for niclosamide, a poorly water-soluble drug. Our simulations reveal that the loading capacity and interaction strength between lecithin nanolipids and niclosamide improve with increased lecithin concentrations. We perform a free-energy landscape analysis which uncovers two distinct metastable conformations of niclosamide within both the aqueous phase and the lecithin nanolipids. Over a simulation period of half a microsecond, lecithin nanolipids self-assemble into a spherical monolayer structure, providing detailed atomic-level insights into their interactions with niclosamide. These findings underscore the potential of lecithin nanolipids as efficient drug delivery systems.