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Wits is very proud to hail one of its own young
researchers, Dr Bavesh Kana, who was selected as one of the recipients
of the inaugural Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s (HHMI) inaugural
International Early Career Scientist (IECS) awards – one of only two
South Africans.
The awards have given an important boost to top young
biomedical scientists from 12 countries at a critical time in their
careers.
Kana is Senior Research Scientist and Head of Unit in
the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research at Wits and
the National Health Laboratory Service and completed his Doctorate in
2004.
The 28 IECS recipients, chosen from 760 applicants,
represent a wide range of disciplines from neuroscience to virology to
plant science.
The awardees drawn from China, Portugal, Spain,
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Hungary, India, Italy, Poland, South Africa
and South Korea will each receive
$650 000: $100 000 a year for five years plus $150 000 the first year
for major equipment purchases and other investments (an additional
supplement will go to their university or research institution). The
funding will start next month.
The HHMI is one of the largest private funding
organisations for biological and medical research in the United States.
Dr Bavesh Kana
Kana accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the Molecular
Mycobacteriology Research Unit (MMRU) based at the University after
completing his doctorate.
His research focus includes the identification and
validation of novel drug targets for tuberculosis (TB) and his work
entails the study of important metabolic pathways in Mycobacterium
tuberculosis, the causative agent of TB and their relationship to
virulence and human disease. His principle interests are in further
understanding bacterial dormancy and mechanisms of mutagenesis and how
these relate to Latent TB Infection (LTBI) and the emergence of
drug-resistant strains, respectively. The major thrust of his current
research is the study of LTBI. It is estimated that two billion people
worldwide are infected with latent TB and that these individuals carry
a 10% lifetime risk of developing active disease, which will eventually
require chemotherapy.
As such, as long as LTBI remains an unattended problem,
society will continue to face a massive and ongoing future burden of
TB. Bacteria in LTBI are characterised by impaired culturability, which
is reminiscent of dormant bacteria in culture. Consequently, an
understanding of the bacterial and host factors that contribute to the
establishment and maintenance of this dormant-like state is of utmost
importance for the development of new interventions that target LTBI.
Kana has been involved in studying resuscitation promoting factors
(Rpfs) in M. tuberculosis and their roles in dormancy, peptidoglycan
remodelling, growth, pathogenesis and recrudescence during infection.
His other active area of interest is the study of the
mycobacterial electron transport chain, specifically the role of
hypoxic and anaerobic respiratory complexes in energy metabolism under
stressful conditions and during non-replicating persistence.
During 2009, Kana completed a large study on
characterisation of the role of Y-family DNA-polymerase-encoding dinB
homologs in M. tuberculosis. Members of this family of DNA polymerases
have been implicated in DNA damage tolerance and mutagenesis in other
organisms. In contrast, Kana’s study revealed that the putative DinB1
and DinB2 DNA polymerases in M. tuberculosis do not play an important
role in DNA damage tolerance, spontaneous mutagenesis and virulence.
His future plans include further studies on LTBI and the
role of Rpfs in TB infection and transmission. He would also like to
expand his work into the molecular epidemiological characterisation of
TB infection in Gauteng and surrounding regions. Kana is also keen to
play a more active role in the discovery of new anti-tubercular drugs
that have novel modes of action through participation in large
international consortia focused on such activities. He is the recipient
of a Friedel Sellschop Award, the Medical Research Council Career
Development award and is a National Research Foundation rated
researcher.
Story: Wits newsroom (January 2012)
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