SAMRC R3 million funding to boost TB research at UL

The University of Limpopo (UL) has received approximately R3 million in funding from the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) to advance the University’s TB research in the effort to combat the epidemic

Over the next three years, the grant will support a project titled “TB Drug Discovery Hit to Lead Optimization” which aims to contribute to finding solutions to the TB epidemic through cutting-edge research. The project is led by Professor of Chemistry at UL, Prof. Winston Nxumalo as the Principal Investigator (PI) and supported by the University of Cape Town (UCT)’s Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), led by Prof Kelly Chibale – this is in line with SHIP’s capacity-building agenda by supporting partnerships between historically disadvantaged individuals and established researchers and institutions.

Prof. Nxumalo stated that the grant and collaboration will strengthen UL’s research activities and allow the university to attract and retain postgraduate students (1 PhD and 2 MSc) who will be trained in drug-discovery projects.

UL is the latest recipient of funding from the Strategic Health Innovation Partnerships (SHIP) programme, a collaboration between SAMRC and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) that funds and manages innovative projects focused on the development of new drugs, treatments, vaccines, medical devices, and prevention strategies. The programme promotes capacity-building by fostering collaborations between historically disadvantaged individuals and established researchers and institutions.

According to Prof. Nxumalo, the project will broaden the scope of ongoing research into the synthesis of novel heterocyclic compounds being tested for activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis.

“Active compounds have been identified as starting points, and research is currently underway to chemically modify them in order to generate derivatives with potentially improved activity profiles for a hit-to-lead optimization campaign,” Nxumalo explained.

The project also includes postgraduate students from the Medicinal Chemistry Research Group, who will be trained throughout the project by designing and synthesising compounds and gaining access to H3D’s expertise and infrastructure in order to evaluate the biological activity of the compounds. As part of this award, they will also be able to spend time at UCT’s Drug Discovery and Development Centre H3D receiving training and mentoring.

Concerning funding for the research project, Zoleka Ngcete, Programme Manager: Strategic Health Innovation Partnerships, Grants Innovation & Product Development, stated that the project is part of a larger initiative to build relevant and sustainable research capacity and to transform South Africa’s science base.

By Reuben Maake