UL partners with UCT in the fight against TB

POLOKWANE – The University of Limpopo (UL) have begun their research project ‘TB medication discovery hit to optimisation’ with the purpose of discovering solutions to Africa’s TB epidemic.

Principal investigator Winston Nxumalo said it is important to have research dedicated to fighting TB so that everyone can benefit.

The project aims to find new active compounds that will combat challenges associated with TB and focus on developing new active compounds to control and eradicate the disease.

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UL have partnered with the University of Cape Town as they have an established research unit that will give access to resources and expertise that can be used to improve research activities at UL.

“It is up to us to build capacity in drug discovery so we can find solutions to our problems” Nxumalo said.

He added that the project has already hit the ground running and is looking to enrol UL chemistry students.

“The project started this year and will be funded for three years. The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has already paid some of the funds and we are in the process of recruiting students, improving our facilities and expanding on existing knowledge already generated by our research group.”

Nxumalo said they will produce new compounds that can be tested on animal subjects in clinical trials and possibly be progressed further as potential new TB drugs at the end of the three-year funding cycle.

“The project is open to collaboration with as many people as possible, including former UL graduates,” he said.