|
Wits Researcher Wins Coveted Prize
January 2012 -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.
DST/CSIR’s
Nanomedicine Research
programme awarded status as ANDI Centre of Excellence in health
innovation
December 2011 -The CSIR’s nanomedicine research programme, sponsored by
the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has been awarded Centre
of Excellence in health innovation status by the African Network for
Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI). Based at the United Nations
Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, ANDI
promotes and sustains African-led product research and development
innovation through the discovery, development and delivery of
affordable new tools.
CSIR
publishes Hoodia
clinical
studies
December 2011 -Dr Vinesh Maharaj, a Technology Manager at the CSIR,
said: "It is important to publish these clinical studies for public
awareness." The CSIR has also acquired the reports to 14 clinical
studies in which Hoodia has been assessed, using
crude extracts and concentrated active ingredients formulated in a
number of different ways. In many of these studies Hoodia
was found to be generally safe and well tolerated, though in some
subjects adverse events and tolerability issues were noted with the
concentrated active ingredient extracts.”
Tea
Research Key to a Growing Industry
December 2011 - Pelly Malebe's research on helping plants withstand
drought is personal as well as scientific. She grew up in South
Africa's drought-prone northern province of Limpopo, where crop
failures are frequent. If the affected crop is food for family
consumption, the result can be hunger. If it is a crop for trade or
export, the loss of earnings can also mean too little food on the
family table, as well as threatening commercial farmers, both large and
small. As a doctoral student at the University of Pretoria, Malebe is
studying the drought-survival mechanisms of tea plants under stress –
and has identified a DNA marker for those plants more able to withstand
drought.
Africa:
Solving Problems Through
Science - A Conversation with Phillip Griffiths
December 2011 - Kampala — Economies across Africa have continued to
expand this year, attracting increased interest from investors, along
with prospects for jobs for the large numbers of unemployed young
graduates. Programs that encourage entrepreneurship are proliferating.
Alongside this momentum, there is a growing recognition that
institutions of higher education are failing to produce the scientists,
and the research, to underpin the creation or expansion of business and
industry. The need for African solutions to African problems spurred
mathematician Phillip Griffiths to launch the African Regional
Initiative in Science and Education (RISE), a project of the Science
Initiative Group at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton
(IAS), New Jersey in the United States. Griffiths, a prize-winning
scholar, is a former director of the Institute and was Provost of Duke
University.
Potential
Breakthrough In Alzheimer's, Cancer
December 2011 -Stefan Weiss, a professor of
biochemistry at Wits, and his team might be on the brink of a major
breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and metastatic
cancer. Formerly from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Germany,
Weiss and his team in the School of Molecular and Cell Biology
published a groundbreaking review article in Frontiers in Bioscience in
2010 on the association of the Laminin receptor (LRP/LR) with
Alzheimer’s disease and also with prions diseases and cancer.
SA
Team
Turns Garbage into
Fuel
December 2011 -An engineering team from Wits University and the South
African Nuclear
Energy Corporation (Necsa), have developed novel technology to turn
biomass (agricultural waste) and garbage (solid municipal waste) into
liquid fuel, electricity, waxes and paraffin. It is the first time that
this innovative project, developed in South Africa by South Africans,
has been manufactured on a small-scale to make it economical for South
Africa and other developing countries.
Fourth ACGT Regional Plant Biotechnology
Forum: A definite
hit!
November 2011 -ACGT partners and affiliate (the University of Limpopo)
once again gathered for a day of research and networking under the
auspice of the 4th ACGT Regional Plant Biotechnology Forum. The forum
was held on the 20th of October 2011, at the ARC head office in
Hatfield, Pretoria.
UP professor recognised for her research in
the fight against
cancer
November 2011 -The Chief Executive Officer of the Cancer Association of
South Africa awarded the AG Oettlé Memorial Silver Medal to Prof Annie
Joubert from the Department of Physiology, Prof Peter Hesseling
(University of Stellenbosch and Tygerberg Children’s Hospital) and Dr
Blair (National Council against smoking) at a function held on 22
September 2011 in Bedfordview.
Mushrooms by the Numbers: A SABINA Master's
in Bioinformatics
October 2011 - Liberata Mwita, a RISE-SABINA student working toward her
master’s degree at the University of Dar es Salaam, is using the modern
techniques of biotechnology and bioinformatics to identify bioactive
compounds for mushrooms and enhance traditional uses. Liberata is
working on Coprinus,
a genus of wild mushroom that has been domesticated for its food value
and is also known to have bioactive compounds.
Biotweet team wins at iGEM competition
October 2011 -A team of South African students from the University of
the Witwatersrand, in partnership with the synthetic biology research
division of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, has
made South Africa proud on the international stage at the prestigious
International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition in
Amsterdam.
Visit: Prof John Saka, Academic Director of the SABINA Network
September 2011 -The Academic Director of the SABINA Network (South
African Biochemistry and Informatics for Natural Products) Prof J.
Saka, recently visited Pretoria and was hosted by Dr Vinesh Maharaj
(CSIR). Prof Saka’s visit forms part of the actions of the POL SABINA
project, which facilitates visits between the nodes by members of the
network. ACGT partner institutions CSIR and the Universities of
Pretoria and the Witwatersrand are SABINA network partners.
ACGT member Prof Bernard Slippers honoured with the 2011 AU TWAS Young
Scientists' National Award
September 2011 -TWAS is the Academy of Sciences for the developing
world. It is an autonomous international organisation based in Trieste,
Italy and its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and
excellence for sustainable development in the South. This award is just
one of many. Prof Slippers recently received the British Association
Medal (Silver) from the Southern Africa Association for the Advancement
of Science (S2A3).
1st Regional Synthetic Biology Forum: A
promising start
September 2011 -The ACGT and the CSIR recently hosted the first
Regional Synthetic Biology Forum. The event was held on the 21st of
August 2011 at the CSIR Knowledge Commons and was graciously sponsored
by Inqaba Biotec.
ACGT congratulates top Women in Science achievers
September 2011 -With three ACGT members having been bestowed with the
honour of being among the Department of Science and Technology’s 2011
‘South African Women in Science’, the recent announcement of the Award
recipients served as a particular point of pride for the Centre and its
partner institutions.
Synthetic Biology Forum 2011 - 24th August
2011
August 2011 -The ACGT and CSIR will be hosting a Synthetic Biology
Forum
on the 24th of August 2011. The programme includes presentations on the
South African BioDesign Initiative, iGEM and the current synthetic
biology initiatives at CSIR and WITS. The keynote address will be given
by Prof Julian Kinderlerer on the ethical issues of synthetic biology.
Building With the Molecules of Medicine
August 2011 -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."
CSIR Biosciences and UP co-host biennial
Proteomics Symposium
and Workshop
August 2011 -CSIR Biosciences joined the University of Pretoria’s
Pharmacology Department in co-hosting a national symposium followed by
a workshop on proteomics. The successful event drew close to 70
delegates from across the country to a two-day symposium held on 11 and
12 July followed by an oversubscribed two-day hands-on workshop.
ACGT Microarray Facility host Microarray
Symposia
August 2011 -Two Microarray Symposia were hosted on 12 and 13 July,
titled “Latest Advances in Microarray Applications and Next-Generation
Sequencing Target Enrichment Technology”. The Symposia attracted
researchers and students actively utilising or envisaging the use of
microarrays as part of their research. Attendees to the two-day
Symposia were from the Universities of Johannesburg, Pretoria and the
Witwatersrand; as well as the Agricultural Research Council and the
CSIR
Call
for abstracts-SASBMB/FASBMB Congress 2012
August
2011- The South African Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/
Federation of African Societies of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
has announced the call for abstracts for the
forth-comming SASBMB/FASBMB Congress 2012.
Vacancy:
Intern- African Centre for Gene Technologies
August 2011 -Pretoria — The African Centre
for Gene Technologies (ACGT) is a collaborative initiative of the
Agricultural Research Council (ARC), CSIR, and the Universities of
Johannesburg, Pretoria and the Witwatersrand. The ACGT has a vacancy
for an Intern. This is a contract position ending in March 2012.
Tanzania:
Young Chemist Seeks Answers in Traditional Medicine
August 2011 -Johannesburg — When Justin Omolo was growing up in
Tanzania, he preferred Western medical clinics to African traditional
healers. "I was the only one in my family who didn't believe in all the
traditional cures," he said. "I guess I wanted proof."
ACGT’s
new phase of growth kick-started at 2011-2015 Strategy
Session
July 2011-Having recently received a boost from the official
incorporation of two new partners, the ACGT has kicked off the process
of strategising its next phase of growth. On 14 June 2011 the Centre
held its 2011-2015 Strategy Session to plot the trajectory for the next
five years.
New
strategy lays foundation for encouraging growth in SA’s biotech industry
July 2011 -South Africa’s emerging bioeconomy will receive a
significant boon through the recent approval of the CSIR’s Biosciences
strategy. Spearheaded by Dr Joe Molete, ACGT Advisory Committee member
and Executive Director of Biosciences at CSIR, this development is yet
another indication of high-level commitment to addressing gaps so as to
build national competiveness through science and innovation.
ARC’s
new Biotechnology Platform on a drive to shift perceptions
June 2011 - ACGT Centre Manager Dr John Becker and Research Intern,
Jessika Samuels, recently visited the Agricultural Research Council
(ARC) Biotechnology Platform’s new premises at the ARC’s Onderstepoort
Veterinary Institute. In addition to viewing the facilities, the
purpose of the visit was to provide support related to the audit and
inclusion of the Platform’s equipment, staff and expertise on the ACGT
database.
UP Professor
receives the Queen's Award for her contribution to forestry
May 2011 - The Commonwealth Forestry Association has bestowed Prof
Jolanda Roux with the Queen's Award for her contribution to forestry.
The award, which recognises the achievements and supports the future
work of an outstanding mid-career forester, comprises a certificate, a
cash prize and a travel grant.
Third
instalment of Regional Plant Biotechnology Forum a resounding success
April 2011 - The ACGT partners again rallied around the aim of building
broader collaboration between institutions at the 3rd ACGT Regional
Plant Biotechnology Forum on the 25th of March 2011. This time around,
the Forum was sponsored by Monsanto and held at the Department of
Science and Technology (DST).
ACGT Workshop
introduces open-source workflow system
April 2011 - From 14 to 16 March 2011, ACGT partners, CSIR and the
University of Pretoria (UP) hosted a workshop introducing Taverna - an
open-source scientific workflow management system.
Jane Morris
retires after nearly a decade with the ACGT
March 2011 - After nine years at the helm, Dr Jane Morris retired as
Director of the ACGT at the end of January 2011. With this move, she
winds down a professional career characterised by significant growth
and dedicated leadership.
New ACGT
Manager takes the reins
February 2011 - The ACGT partner institutions have appointed Dr John
Becker as the new ACGT Manager. Dr Becker took over from Dr Jane
Morris, who announced her retirement as the Centre’s Director last year
after serving in the position since the inception of the ACGT.
ACGT research
intern relishes the opportunity to ‘give back’
January 2011 - The ACGT recently welcomed Jessika Samuels to the team
as a research intern. Jessika is responsible for the maintenance of the
ACGT database of biosciences research skills, techniques and
specialised equipment of scientists at the University of Witwatersrand,
University of Pretoria, CSIR, University of Johannesburg and University
of Limpopo.
Africa’s next
generation of academics in the spotlight at international gathering
December 2010 - As part of its participation in SABINA (Southern
African Biochemistry and Informatics for Natural Products) – a
Carnegie-IAS RISE
network – the ACGT was recently represented at the Carnegie Corporation
Networks Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.
Opportunities
for cooperation in plant biotechnology under the spotlight at regional
Forum meeting
December 2010 - Following on the success of the first scientific
meeting of the Regional Plant Biotechnology Forum at the University of
Johannesburg earlier this year, the Forum recently held another meeting
on 15 October at University of Pretoria under the auspices of the ACGT.
Forum on
regional networks brings African institutions closer together
December 2010 - The RISE (Regional Initiative in Science and Education)
recently brought together students, academics, administrators and
government representatives from its five member networks for its 2010
Conference. The Meeting was organised by the ACGT office and held from
5 to 8 October in Benoni, Gauteng.
OL-SABINA gets
valuable exposure to funder objectives and expectations
December 2010 - The ACGT associate network, SABINA, was recently
represented by Ella Nyakunu at the Joint Stakeholder Conference of the
EU-ACP EDULINK and ACP Science & Technology Programmes. The
Conference was held from 26 to 28 of October 2010, at the ACP House in
Brussels.
Landmark
southern African human genome initiative gets the ‘green light’
December 2010 - The Southern African Human Genome Programme has
recently been successful in securing seed-funding from the Department
of Science and Technology (DST) to kick-start the work of this
ground-breaking national initiative. It is truly a national project
which will involve a collaboration between scientists at education
institutions, science councils, government and industry. ACGT’s partner
institutions will be part of this project.
UJ hosts first
scientific meeting of ACGT Regional Plant Biotech Forum
June 2010 - Following the success of the 2009 ACGT Regional Plant
Biotechnology Forum workshop, the University of Johannesburg (UJ)
hosted the Forum’s first scientific meeting on 25 May 2010.
Plant Genomics
Researchers Invited to View the Preliminary 8X Draft Assembly of the Eucalyptus
grandis Genome
May 2010 - The preliminary 8X draft assembly of the E.
grandis genome, which is being sequenced by the
US Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), is
available from today in our public Eucalyptus Genome
Database
Professor Sven
Bergmann Visits the University of Pretoria’s Bioinformatics and
Computational Biology Unit
April 2010 - Sven Bergmann is an Associate Professor at the University
of Lausanne in the Department of Medical Genetics, and is affiliated
with the Swiss Institute for Bioinformatics.
ACGT sets the
Scene for sub-Saharan Africa at FAO Conference
March 2010 - The ACGT was recently represented at the Food and
Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) International
technical conference on Agricultural Biotechnologies in Developing
Countries (ABDC-10).
Vacancy: Project Manager- African Centre for
Gene Technologies
March 2010 - The incumbent will be expected to coordinate activities in
a three year European Union funded project under the EU
Africa-Caribbean-Pacific programme, where the University of Pretoria is
the lead agency in a consortium involving South Africa, Namibia,
Tanzania and Malawi.
Moving towards
a greener future
February 2010 - A world-class building promising to be an excellent
example of a green building that is both effective and user-friendly
will be erected at the University of Pretoria.
ACGT members
help plot malaria research trajectory at 2010 SAMI Conference
February 2010 - The ACGT was recently represented at the annual SAMI
(South African Malaria Initiative) Conference 2010 in Cape St Francis.
The meeting, which was held from 26 - 28 January, was followed by an
open SAMI Steering Committee Meeting.
|
