i nstitute of b iomedical & m icrobial b iotechnology ( ibmb )

Prof Wentzel g elderblom (Research Chair) gelderblomw@cput.ac.za

Prof J Marnewick (Co-Chair) marnewickj@cput.ac.za

Until recently, Biotechnology-based research at CPUT fell within the categories of Industrial Biotechnology (research performed by the Biocatalysis and Technical Biology Research Group) and Medical Biotechnology, which includes research performed in the Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences, the Faculty of Applied Sciences and the Oxidative Stress Research Centre. In order to facilitate and coordinate the different research disciplines at CPUT, the IBMB was created to foster collaboration within CPUT and with several national and international scientists. The research focus is guided by the vision of “building a healthy nation through research” in accordance with the principles of the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations member states.

The main research goal of IBMB is to integrate several research groups and/or centers that currently exist at CPUT under one central theme to strengthen the Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy research focus area as defined in the RTI Blueprint. It is envisaged to include the expertise of the Oxidative Stress Research Centre (OSRC) under the leadership of Prof J Marnewick, the BTB Research Group headed by Dr M le Roes-Hill, and the Mycotoxicology and Chemoprevention Research Group with Drs H Alberts and S Abel as the respective research leaders. They will be the key role players in establishing a Biotechnology corridor fostering research in this focus area under the auspices of Dr Chris Nhlapo (DVC: RTIP), Prof Wentzel Gelderblom (Research Chair) and Prof J Marnewick (Co-Chair).

IBMB is mandated “to conduct excellent and worldclass multidisciplinary research in reducing relevant health risks, associated with food/water safety, mycotoxicology, oxidative stress, community health and chemoprevention, through integrated research in biotechnology, encouraging the development of key scarce skills in areas such as biocatalysis and nanobiotechnology in the realisation of South Africa’s bio-economic strategy”.

Details concerning the related focus areas constituting IBMB are outlined in the institution’s five-year business plan. An interactive model, centralising the proposed role of the IBMB within CPUT, is summarised below:

New rating for researcher

i ND u ST ry F u ND i N g

CONFE r ENCE F u ND i N g (CONFCO m ) u N iv E r S i T y r ESEA r CH F u ND i N g ( ur F)

Dr Tukayi Kudanga, based at CPUT’s Biocatalysis and Technical Biology (BTB) research Group, has been awarded a y2 rating by the Nrf for his research in Biocatalysis. Dr Kudanga developed his interest in this area whilst completing his doctorate at Graz University of Technology in austria. He has since published over 30 peer-reviewed articles as well as two book chapters in this field.

Biocatalysis is identified as a research focus area by the DST, and is also outlined in CPUT’s rTI Blueprint as a key area of research at the institution.

Currently Dr Kudanga is researching enzymatic synthesis of bioactive compounds with a focus on antioxidants, focusing on how to increase antioxidant activity of certain compounds that can prevent skin cancer.

N AT i ONA l rESEA r CH F O u NDAT i ON F u ND i N g (N r F)

The IBMB has three sub-units:

The BTB Research Group was established in April 2009 and comprises researchers and students from diverse backgrounds including Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Engineering, Environmental Microbiology, Microbiology, and Molecular and Cell Biology.

The main research focus areas of the BTB Research Group are: Actinomycete Biology and Biodiversity, Biocatalysis, and Wastewater Research. The main research objectives of the group are:

1. To develop sustainable processes for:

• The application of oxidative enzymes in cross-linking, coupling and degradation reactions

• The production of value-added products from waste

• The bioremediation of domestic and industrial wastewater

2. To contribute to the knowledge base on the biology and biodiversity of actinomycetes from various environments

3. To disseminate research findings and knowledge to the general public and relevant stakeholders for the implementation of sustainable bioprocesses in real world applications

In 2014, the BTB Research Group, along with the Mycotoxicology and Chemoprevention Research Group and the Oxidative Stress Research Centre, formed the Institute of Biomedical and Microbial Biotechnology. All three units continued to focus on their specific research focus areas, working together to promote research at CPUT within the areas of Biomedical Technology, Microbial Biotechnology and Wastewater.

Highlights for 2014

• Dr Pam Welz, Dr Nuraan Khan and Dr Marilize le Roes-Hill were invited to serve on reference groups for projects funded by the Water Research Commission (WRC) of South Africa.

• Dr Tukayi Kudanga, Dr Marilize le Roes-Hill and Dr Pam Welz served as reviewers for various international peer-reviewed journals as well as for the NRF and the WRC.

• Ms Shandré Weels and Ms Siyasanga Mbulawa completed their Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) year in Biotechnology as part of the BTB Research Group.

• The BTB Research Group won the award for Best Research Poster, for the fifth year in a row, at CPUT’s Research Day.

• Dr Nuraan Khan presented at the 1st CPUT Nanotechnology Seminar organised by the Faculty of Engineering.

• Dr Marilize le Roes-Hill was elected as a Councillor of the Royal Society of South Africa.

• Dr Nuraan Khan participated in the DST Industrymeets-Science Workshop on Biomass and Organic Waste.

• Ms Oelfah Daniels was appointed as BTB Administrator, while Dr Marilize le Roes-Hill was permanently appointed as Senior Researcher.

• The BTB Research Group secured funding for three more WRC-funded projects (Dr Pam Welz and Dr Nuraan Khan).

• Members of the BTB Research Group were involved in several research uptake/community engagement activities:

Installation of biological sand filters on a wine farm in Stellenbosch for the on-site treatment of winery wastewater (Dr Pam Welz)

Site visits to various edible oil industries in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal as part of a national survey on waste and wastewater management practices in the edible oil industry of South Africa (Dr Pam Welz)

Site visits to Rooibos Ltd and rooibos farms to assess the biodiversity of actinomycetes associated with rooibos plants (Dr Nuraan Khan and Dr Marilize le Roes-Hill)

Site visit to a potato processing company to evaluate the potential bioremediation of the waste generated and its incorporation into a biorefinery approach (Dr Nuraan Khan and Dr Marilize le Roes-Hill)

Chairing two public lectures hosted by the Royal Society of South Africa and the Academy of Science of South Africa, Observatory (Dr Marilize le Roes-Hill)

Serving on the Wine Industry Network for Expertise and Technology (Winetech) Committee (Dr Pam Welz)

Dr Stefan Abel abels@cput.ac.za

The main aims of this research group are to understand the mechanisms of carcinogenesis in order to reduce human health risk, and to identify dietary constituents as chemopreventive agents which can prevent/reduce the outcome of disease. The group’s emphasis on chemoprevention research focuses on South African herbal teas, such as rooibos, and dietary unsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3, which can influence the physical and biological cellular responses that are significant during carcinogenesis. Cellular processes involved in carcinogenesis and chemoprevention are monitored in terms of apoptosis, cell proliferation and cellular oxidative status in suitable physiological fluids or tissues.

Expertise in this group includes lipid extraction and analyses; cell culture assays determining cell proliferation, apoptosis and oxidative status; and the use of rodent cancer models. As research capacity development is a core component, the group provides supervision to postgraduate students at CPUT, SU and UWC, and internationally to postgraduate students in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

research objectives include:

• To investigate the mechanisms of cancer development related to toxicity and carcinogenicity by examining processes/ signalling pathways involved in promoting adapted and resistant precancerous cell populations by means of a mechanistic approach focusing on alterations in oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, the imbalance between apoptosis and growth signals, inflammation, etc.

• To determine the modulating role of dietary fatty acids as chemopreventive tools, and interaction with herbal teas, iron and mycotoxins such as fumonisin

• To characterise and formulate a polyunsaturated fatty acid nutraceutical to help in the prevention of cancer, possibly in combination with other bioactive food components

• To identify and validate physiological and molecular biomarkers in chemoprevention using lipids, gene and/or protein expression profiles to be utilised in clinical chemopreventive studies research activities during 2014 include:

• Studies on the role of fumonisin B1 (FB1) in carcinogenesis (in vivo and in vitro models) have yielded information regarding its role in disease development; FB1 can 1) Alter key enzymes in lipid metabolism and membrane receptors, 2) Modulate important signalling pathways related to cell proliferation and apoptosis, 3) Exhibit a threshold effect for toxicity and carcinogenicity;

• Characterisation of a lipid profile in human hepatocellular carcinoma similar to the profile in rat preneoplastic liver lesions which are associated with altered growth properties and cell survival indices;

• Establishment of reference vaues for conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content of milk from Jersey cows and Fleckvieh crosses in the Western Cape Province;

• Elucidation of the chemopreventive properties of South African herbal teas in the inhibition of skin and oesophageal carcinoma; changes to the cellular redox status of cancer cells by the polyphenolic constituents are key cellular targets inhibiting altered cellular growth; establishment of a specific UVB/ keratinocyte anti-inflammatory cell model to create opportunities to further elucidate the chemopreventive properties of herbal teas in the skin and the possible development of a unique pharmaceutical product against skin cancer;

• Participation in updating government legislation regulations relating to trans-fat content allowed in processed foods: Annexure 1 – Methodology for the determination of trans-fatty acids in foodstuffs (Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972. No. R.127. Regulations relating to trans-fat in foodstuffs).