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UCT Research Report '11
320
Division of Neurology
Head of Division: Associate Professor A.
Bryer
Divisional Profile
A general clinical neurology service is operated at
Groote Schuur Hospital. This provides a full range of
clinical activities, including in-patients, consultative, and
emergency services. Additionally, there is a clinical
neurophysiology laboratory, a dedicated actue stroke unit,
and specialised clinics for stroke, myasthenia gravis, HIV
neurology, neuro-genetic disorder and epilepsy.
Areas of research include Stroke, Myasthenia gravis, HIV/
AIDS, Dementia, Neurogenetics, Multi-media teaching.
Divisional Statistics
Permanent and Long-term Contract Staff
Associate Professors (Full-time)
4
Senior Lecturers (Full-time)
1
Lecturers (Part-time)
2
Total
7
Postgraduate Students
B.Sc Hons
2
M. Sc.
4
PhD
1
M. Med (Psychiatry)
1
M. Med (Family Med)
1
MA (Neuropsychology)
2
Research Fields and Staff
Associate Professor A. Bryer
Stroke; neuro-genetics.
Associate Professor B. Kies
Parkinson’s disease; clinical trials, neurology education.
Dr E. Lee Pan
Health systems information technology; multi-media
teaching.
Associate Professor J. Heckmann
Myasthenia gravis; HIV neurological disease, HIV
neuropathy, neuro-immunology; neuro-genetics.
Associate Professor M. Combrinck
Neuro-inflammation, HIV dementia, cognitive impairment
in the elderly, Alzheimer’s disease.
Contact Details
Postal Address: E8, New Groote Schuur Hospital,
Observatory, 7925
Telephone: +27 21 404 3197/8
Fax: +27 21 406 6251
E-mail: alan.bryer@uct.ac.za
Division of Clinical
Pharmacology
Head of Division: Professor Gary Maartens
Divisional Profile
The major research thrusts of the division are focused on
drugs for malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. The research in
these fields is broad and encompasses drug discovery,
pharmacokinetics, pharmacogenomics, clinical trials,
pharmacoepidemiology,
and
pharmacoeconomic
evaluation. The analytical laboratory plays a key research
role with small animal models for drug discovery and in
patient samples for drug concentrations. A large multicentre
malaria clinical research group headed by Prof Karen
Barnes has secured substantial funding from the Gates
Foundation and the Global Fund – this programme is at
the forefront of translational malaria research in Africa.
The MRC South African Traditional Medicines Research
Group is a drug discovery programme: Prof Kelly Chibale,
Dept Chemistry, UCT and Prof Peter Smith from our
division are co-directors. Compounds with antimalarial,
antibacterial (including antitubercular) and antifungal
activity are identified and optimised from plants used in
traditional medicine. The analytical laboratory has recently
been awarded funding from NIH as an International
Pharmacology Specialty Laboratory. Prof Helen McIlleron
heads our clinical pharmacokinetic group, which conducts a
series of pharmacokinetic studies evaluating antitubercular
drugs, antiretroviral drugs, and the interaction between
them in adults and children with funding from the Wellcome
Trust, NIH, and MRC. Our collaboration on population
pharmacokinetics with Uppsala University is ongoing and
we have a pharmacometric laboratory to perform these
complex analyses.
Divisional Statistics
Permanent and Long-term Contract Staff
Professors
2
Associate Professors
3
Senior Lecturer
3
Senior Research Officer
1
Medical Research Officer
1
Registrars
4
Research Fellow
1