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University unit offers research services to bio-economy
Drs Lizex Hüsselmann and Ashwil Klein standing next to the Bruker ultrafleXtreme MALDI-ToF mass spectrometer instrument.
PROTEOMICS INVOLVES THE USE OF A NUMBER OF TOOLS AND EXPERTISE to profi le and identify proteins of interest in any organism. Proteins are the functional or operational units in cells and often include biomarkers for certain diseases or physiological/ developmental status.
UWC’s National Agricultural Proteomics Research and Service Unit (NAPRSU) provides agricultural and biotechnology researchers and private companies with proteomics research capability. The unit is self-sustainable and generates revenue through industry-linked projects and diagnostic services off ered to internal and external clients. The small NAPRSU team is led by Dr Ashwil Klein, the group leader of the Plant Omics Laboratory. The day-to-day operations and technical support of the unit are shared between Dr Lizex Husselmann, a proteomics senior officer, and Gadija Mohamed, an ARC research technician.
Their work includes advice on project design, consultations with clients, sample preparation and analysis, and coordinating training workshops for internal and external clients, including researchers, technicians and students from the African continent.
The unit has investigated a number of agricultural and horticultural crops, including maize, sorghum, wheat, peas, apples and pears. The unit off ers routine and specialised services that include:
• protein identifi cation by peptide fi ngerprinting (PMF);
• de novo sequencing of peptides using MALDI TOF-TOF mass spectrometry;
• MALDI imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) for visualisation of the spatial distribution of proteins, peptides, lipids and other small molecules within thin tissue slices;
• MALDI polymer analysis for accurate determination of molecular weights from narrowly distributed polymers; and
• MALDI biotyping for rapid identification of microorganisms, which has numerous applications in clinical research, water quality, food safety and diagnostic-related areas of science.
In addition to providing excellent services to academic and industry clients and the broader science community, the NAPRSU trains dozens of postgraduate students annually, most of whom have disadvantaged backgrounds. This creates a stable foundation for developing the next generation of scientists and biotech entrepreneurs.
Students have largely focused their research on Africa-centric problems. One student was a fi nalist in an Africa-wide Women In Science competition, resulting in generous funding to attend workshops and training in other African countries, including Uganda and Ghana.
A National Equipment Programme grant from the NRF enabled the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment for advanced research worth close to R10 million.
Having built a sustainable foundation, the unit’s vision is to continue contributing to a transformed, vibrant and competitive South African scientifi c community able to take full advantage of the national and continental wealth in biodiversity, natural resources and indigenous knowledge systems. This will place the NAPRSU in a strategic leadership position in the global knowledge-based bio-economy by 2030.
The Bruker EASY nLC Liquid Chromatograph and PROTEINEER fc II Protein spotter for peptide spotting on MTP steel target plate.
