MRC PhD student

Level of study: PhD

Title: In vitro and in vivo anti-malarial activity of South African medicinal plants and isolation and characterization of active constituents.

Study Institution: Department of Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, UCT

Research question: Much research in Africa has been on in vitro bioassays and the results obtained even for new molecules have rarely been taken into clinical research. There also hasn’t been further development of traditional medicines that have shown strong activity in vitro bio-assays. The project therefore seeks to develop these molecules for more in vivo tests on animal models and further into clinical research

Project summary: The use of medicinal plants still plays a vital role to cover the basic health needs in developing countries where pharmaceuticals are not available or are unaffordable. Herbal remedies used in traditional medicine provide an interesting and largely unexplored source for the discovery of potentially new drugs for chemotherapy. South Africa has a remarkable diversity of flora that has not been satisfactorily explored. It is on this basis that medicinal plants with a reputation of use in treatment of malaria are being investigated. Mamello is integrally involved in the development of clinical trial protocols for evaluation of traditional medicines and also the development of protocols for the evaluation of safety and efficacy of ‘lead’ molecules with anti-malarial activity in in vivo animal models.

Supervisor: Prof PJ Smith
Mentor: Dr MG Matsabisa
Support: MRC/DST Professional Development Programme (PDP)
MRC Unit: Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS)