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FACULTY OF health scienceS
Research activities of the Division cover seven major areas:
• GnRH receptors, signalling, structure – function and
as a target for development of therapeutics for
treatment of reproductive cancers (Katz & Millar labs);
• Molecular mechanisms of cervical cancer and
oesophageal cancer development and progression
(Leaner, Hendricks and Parker labs)
• Identification and characterisation of anticancer drugs
in natural products (Hendricks lab);
• Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) structure
activity relationships and development of ACE
inhibitors (drug design) for treatment of hypertension,
congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction and
renal disease (Sturrock lab);
• Application of functional proteomics for diagnostics,
drug and vaccine development for infectious disease
and cancers (Blackburn lab).
• Diagnostic, structure and function studies in the
porphyrias and haem biosynthesis (Meissner lab –
currently sited and staffed in the Dept. of Medicine)
• Structural basis for differential regulation of glutamine
synthetase in humans and the malaria parasite,
structural studies on the nitrilase family of enzymes
in the context of cancer, mycothiol synthetic pathway
in
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
(Sewell lab- currently
located on UCT upper campus)
Research staff members, fellows, postgrad students
participated in many local and international conferences
during the year. Our Division considers such travel essential
and worthwhile in that they give rise to new collaborations
and maintenance of established collaborations and lab
research visits.
Divisional Statistics
Professors
4
Professor (emeritus) appointed as Senior Scholar
1
Professors on establishment but working in affili-
ated Institutions
1
Associate Professors
4
Technical Support Staff
4
Departmental Assistants
3
Administrative Staff
2
Total
19
Honorary Staff
Honorary Professor
1
Honorary Associate Professor
1
Honorary Senior Lecturers
2
Honorary Research Associate
1
Total
5
Students & Fellows
Postdoctoral fellows
18
Research students:
Doctoral
35
Master’s
22
Honours
6
Undergraduate students
626
Total
707
Research fields and staff
Professors
J M Blackburn, BSc (Hons) DPhil Oxon (South
African Research Chair)
Proteomics and genomics for diagnostics, drug and
vaccine development for infectious disease and cancers
P N Meissner, BSc(Med)(Hons) PhD Cape Town
(Fellow of UCT)
Haem biosynthesis, disorders of porphyrin metabolism
E D Sturrock, BSc (Med)(Hons) PhD Cape Town
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) structure activity
relationships and drug design related to ACE inhibitors
for treatment of hypertension, congestive heart failure,
myocardial infarction and renal disease
B T Sewell, MSc Witwatersrand, PhD London.
Structural biology related to regulation of glutamine
synthetase in humans and the malaria parasite, nitrilases
in the context of cancer, mycothiol synthetic pathway in
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
)
R P Millar PhD, FRCPath (Chem), FRSE (Life
Fellow of UCT)
Endocrine receptor and molecular biology
Professors (working in affiliated Institutes)
M I Parker, BSc(Hons) PhD Cape Town (MASSAf)
(based in the International Centre for Genetic
Engineering and Biotechnology – ICGEB, Cape Town);
Cellular and molecular biology of cancer; Regulation of
gene expression in cancer
Associate Professor:
A A Katz, MSc PhD Rehovot
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) receptors:
function regulation and ligand receptor interactions;
role of cyclooxygenases and prostaglandins in cervical
cancer and uterine pathologies
Denver Hendricks, BSc(Hons) PhD Cape Town
Molecular biology of oesophageal cancer and
development of novel chemotherapeutic drugs