DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
This is the news blog for the Division of Molecular Biology & Human Genetics and the Division of Immunology
Written by Welile Dube Three ambitious students from the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics (MBHG) embarked on a transformative academic journey at the Education and Research-Oriented Training in Health Sciences (EARTHS) 2024 Summer School. The summer school was hosted by Prof. Amena Ahmad of Hamburg University of Applied…
Written by Alyce Kapisa Join me on a journey as I travel to the small town of Makhanda in the Eastern Cape, where members of the Societal Impact Task Team (SITT) within Stellenbosch University’s Department of Biomedical Sciences participated in the 8th annual Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) Conference. This…
Written by Alyce Kapisa What does 40-degree weather, the world’s smallest international airport and slow drivers have in common? They can all be found in South Africa’s ‘Groen Kalahari’ also known as Upington, in our beautiful Northern Cape province. Other than all that, Upington also happens to boast some potential…
A diverse group of researchers, public health officials and TB survivors worked together to create a consensus TB Dictionary In the ongoing fight against tuberculosis (TB), a newly launched Global TB Dictionary aims to provide a common language for researchers, policy makers, funders and affected communities. Developed through a systematic…
Written by Leka Mhlophe Children and scientists are more similar than one might think. There are many questions at the core of what both children and scientists are. For example, when a child asks “why?” several times for several hours, believe it or not, that is exactly what a scientist…
Written by Leka Mhlophe Look at that! Another year has passed and here comes the Eskom Expo once again! In my short time at the MBHG, I have realised that an integral part of what we do is connecting with the community. This makes sense because as biomedical scientists, the…
Researchers, healthcare workers, local artists and community residents joined hands to create a series of murals at local clinics within the Cape Town area to encourage community support in the fight against Tuberculosis (TB). Every year, at least 10 million people fall ill with Tuberculosis, as reported by the World…
The 18th July marks Mandela Day in South Africa. This Mandela Day is special in that it is the 10th Anniversary, marking a decade long promise by all South Africans to work together to make a difference in our country. Bless-a-Baby, a non-profit organization that that provides relief for new…
This year, the essence of #MandelaDay – take action and inspire change, is more important than ever with communities across the world being affected by the spread of #Covid19 causing new social and economic challenges and exacerbating old ones. These have galvanised cross-sections of our society into action and this newfound camaraderie…
Pictured here is MBHG BSL-3 manager Dr Nasiema Allie, responsible for all operations and safety related to infectious disease research carried out at MBHG, demonstrating how to use this PPE with the help of Dr Usha Lalla, head of the A5 Medical ICU at Tygerberg Hospital. To assist healthcare professionals…