Innovations

The collection and preservation of biological material for further DNA and RNA analysis are critical to many biomedical fields, from medical diagnostics to forensics and biodiversity conservation. The Forensic DNA lab at the University of the Western Cape has developed a novel, proprietary DNA

Many of the commonly used food preservatives and microbial agents are synthetic compounds. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in avoiding or eliminating the use of synthetic compounds and in developing and promoting the use of natural materials for use as antimicrobial agents

Biofiltration is the filtration of contaminated water using organic material to capture and biologically degrade contaminants. A biofilter comprises inorganic or organic filtering media such as rock, slag, sand, glass beads, peat or wood chips on which a biofilm develops when wastewater flows over

Certain liquids, such as wine, are sensitive to contact with oxygen and may be degraded by oxidation, so winemakers usually take steps to limit or entirely prevent oxygen from contacting the wine. For example, inert gases may be used to displace oxygen. In reductive winemaking processes, oxygen is

In the era of COVID‑19, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and its fundamental role in the protection of clinicians have come to the forefront as an essential medical technology. While commonplace in many situations as a standard of care, i.e., theatre, ICU, etc., its fundamental role in the

HIV/AIDS continues to disproportionately impact sub-Saharan Africa, where it remains a leading cause of illness and death among children. Paediatric HIV progresses at an alarming rate, with 20–30% of untreated infants succumbing to the disease within their first year. Without timely intervention

The recombinant LSDV-BCoV vaccine is an innovative dual vaccine designed to provide simultaneous protection against Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV) and Bovine Coronavirus (BCoV). It utilises a recombinant LSDV vector to express key BCoV antigens, including the spike (S1 and S2 subunits) and

Drug regimens have not been optimised for individuals of African descent. This is due to several converging factors, including Africa’s diverse genetics, disproportionate disease burdens (and consequently a high dependency on specific drug regimens), as well as under-representation of local

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are immune system proteins that are used in targeted drug therapy and prophylaxis and are in high demand around the world to fight diseases. Despite advancements in biomedical technology, current methods for producing mAbs – primarily mammalian cell cultures – can be

This invention relates to a single-cell assay designed to determine how chromosomal contacts influence the transcriptional activity of genes of interest. It also includes methods for silencing gene expression by disrupting gene regulatory elements involved in these chromosomal interactions.

The present invention relates to methods for modulating the production of ELR+ proinflammatory chemokines in a subject or a cell using either UMLiLO IncRNA inhibitors to decrease production of ELR+ proinflammatory cytokines or using UMLILO IncRNA to increase the production of ELR+ proinflammatory

The present invention relates to methods for the identification of anti-HIV miRNAs and anti-HIV pharmaceutical compounds using high-throughput screening methods, comprising: transfecting reporter cells with a panel of miRNAs, infecting the reporter cells with HIV, screening the cells to identify