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For South African organic chemistry student Adushan Pillay,
conducting research for his PhD is like building with Lego children's
blocks.
"That's what we do at a molecular level," he said. "You can't
predict what will work - you build and build, and it's trial and error
to figure out what works."
Pillay's building materials are molecular compounds known as
naphthoquinones found in a parasitic fungus that causes blight on
potato plants. These compounds kill the host plant by producing toxins,
but what's interesting to Pillay is whether they could combat human
diseases.
The 26-year-old from Pietermaritzburg in South Africa's KwaZulu
Natal province is probing the potential of these compounds to fight
cancer. He has identified a specific molecule, known as marticin, which
shows great promise as an anti-cancer drug, according to Pillay and his
supervisor.
Pillay is studying under a program to support science in developing
countries, the Science Initiative Group (SIG) of the U.S. Institute for
Advanced Study. He is one of the PhD students from sub-Saharan Africa
in SIG's Regional Initiative in Science and Education (RISE) and is
studying at Johannesburg's Witwatersrand (Wits) University.
RISE has grouped scientists into networks relating to their research
areas. Pillay's work falls under SABINA, the Southern African
Biochemistry and Informatics for Natural Products.
"We're lucky to have 10 percent of the world's biodiversity in
plants here in Africa," said Pillay. The goal of SABINA is to use this
biodiversity to increase capacity in natural products research in
southern Africa.
In addition to Wits, where Pillay is conducting his research, the
University of Malawi, the University of Namibia, and the Tea Research
Foundation of Central Africa (TRFCA) are SABINA partner institutions,
along with Pretoria University and the South African Council for
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Given SABINA's emphasis on natural products, it might seem that the
focus would be on plants in nature rather than on synthesizing
compounds in a lab. However, the fungus makes the key compound in very
small amounts, so if its anti-cancer properties are proven, this
medicinal plant will be worth a lot of money, which could lead to
over-harvesting.
This is why Pillay is working so hard to make a molecule in the lab
which is identical to the one found in nature - a challenge in that it
is structurally complex. Such a "synthetically identical natural
product" could be produced in large quantities.
To this end Pillay aims to develop a novel methodology, for the
synthesis of a model tricyclic system, but he has been finding it hard
to introduce the final ring to make it a naphthoquinone.
"It's only about 30 percent of the time that you get what you want,
so you get used to being disappointed," he mused. "But if you go into
something knowing that the outcome will be uncertain, then when it does
work you're on a high for three days."
Pillay's supervisor, Charles de Koning, professor of Organic
Chemistry at the University of the Witwatersrand, harks back to that
Lego analogy. "You build and build, and then if the next block doesn't
fit, you have to kick whole house down and start over."
De Koning describes his student as "a very creative organic
chemist". "He's in my office just about every day with new ideas on how
to synthesize the complex quinones we have set as targets for his PhD.
Then by the end of the week, as if by magic, he has already obtained
some interesting results."
Pillay is aware that for all his hard work his research could
produce an unexpected outcome, that marticin might not be the
anti-cancer drug he hopes it is.
"So I'm doing other things on the side," he said. "I know I can't
put all my eggs in one basket." He aims to test the compound for
anti-malarial and anti fungal properties as well.
Pillay said he receives support from fellow chemistry students,
especially his Tanzanian colleague in the SABINA-RISE program, Justin
Omolo. Omolo in turn says he appreciates Pillay.
"I also get depressed when my research isn't going well," said
Omolo, who is investigating the anti-HIV properties of an indigenous
Tanzanian plant. "Adushan and I support each other, we tell each other
that things are going to work out."
Pillay said that one of the aspects of the RISE program that he
values is the interaction with students from other African countries,
who he sees as "the cream of the crop"
Story: Julie Frederikse (allAfrica.com. August 2011), Photography: Arlen Hastings (RISE)
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