Recent news

CBTBR Scientist wins R5m for TB research February 22, 2012
Senior research scientist and unit head of the Wits Centre of Excellence for biomedical TB Research Dr Bhavesh Kana, has won a R5m grant for research interventions to speed up TB diagnosis.

Kana was one of 28 biomedical scientists chosen from 760 applicants from 12 countries for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s inaugural International Early Career Scientist Award in the US. He and his fellow scientist recipients were lauded by the Institute as they received their awards.

“These are the people who, ten years from now, we expect will be the scientific leaders in their countries,” said Robert Tjiaan, president of the Institute, adding many young scientists were hampered by a lack of funding in their own countries to continue their research studies.

Kana said this was a significant award as it would allow him to further his research in South Africa where the need for the treatment of TB was great. His particular interest is in researching latent TB infection, a non-symptomatic or contagious bacterial infection that lies dormant in a person’s body, in order to avoid it becoming active later.

“This grant will go a long way towards my research to discover what happens with this latent bug to activate the infection,” he said. Kana said TB, which is one of the most prevalent diseases in South Africa, could be eradicated through a multi-pronged approach to treatment and diagnosis.

His research could have a profound influence on not just South Africa but the world. “TB affects about two billion people around the world with many not aware they are carrying the bug.” Kana received his PhD at Wits and conducted some of his post doctoral training at the Public Health Research Institute in New Jersey. He also worked in laboratories at the University of Pennsylvania, Texas University, the Russian Academy of Sciences and Harvard Medical School. The US Institute had earlier committed $60m to build the KwaZulu--Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV/Aids in Durban. - POST

Faculty of Health Sciences boasts two new Centres of Excellence November 8, 2011
Two Centres of Excellence in Health Innovation were awarded to the Faculty of Health Sciences of Stellenbosch University by the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI). The Centre for Infectious Diseases (CID) has been selected as the ANDI Centre of Excellence for HIV Translational Research and the Department of Biomedical Sciences will host a Centre of Excellence in TB Translational Research.

The African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) was created in 2008, with funding from the European Union and other stakeholders, to build research capability and leadership in Africa in order to scale up research aimed at discovering and developing new and improved tools to address the diseases that disproportionately affect the African continent.ANDI’s main activity has been encouraging African institutions “to be recognised as centres of excellence” which brings “the opportunity to become future ANDI centres for health innovation and further capacity development in Africa”.

These centres will be expected to participate in the implementation of ANDI projects which will be linked to capacity building as well as stimulation of intra-African collaboration and networking.

The first group of 32 ANDI Centres of Excellence in health innovation in Africa were announced at the 4th ANDI Stakeholders Meeting and Donor Conference which took place in October at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Eleven of the 32 ANDI Centres of Excellence were awarded to South African institutions, of which 8 are situated in the Western Cape, namely Stellenbosch University (2), the Medical Research Council (1), University of Cape Town (3), iThemba Labs (1), and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (1). The other 3 are in Gauteng at the University of Witwatersrand (2) and iThemba Pharmaceuticals (1).

In photo: Members of the Faculty who will be responsible for the ANDI centres were congratulated by the dean, Prof Jimmy Volmink. In the front are Profs Jean Nachega (left) and Jimmy Volmink and at the back are Profs Wolfgang Preiser with Paul van Helden (CBTBR).

CBTBR team member’s lab due for accreditation by SANAS
The CBTBR lab of team member Prof Gerhard Walzl (SUN-IRG) had an evaluation visit from the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) and was recommended for Accreditation with the body by the assessors. A follow up visit is scheduled for May 2012 when full accreditation will be possible.