Biosciences - CSIR

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Strategic overview The vision of CSIR Biosciences is to provide bioscience solutions that improve health and fight disease, and that support the private and public sector industries in a manner that is sensitive to the economic realities and the natural environment of the societies we live in. The strategic objectives that will underpin achievement of this goal include engagement and partnership with key stakeholders in the national R&D system and the National System of Innovation in order to find alignment with national imperatives. The biosciences research core has been structured into seven platforms, which incorporate multi-disciplinary expertise required to deliver on key elements of a research value chain that is focused on addressing economic development and health-based socio-economic challenges: discovery biology, discovery chemistry, bioprospecting and analytical platforms focus on the identification and development of new molecules and biological targets that find application to provide novel solutions for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. The plant biotechnology, bioprocess technologies and product and process development platforms focus on the identification and development of novel technologies that enhance the competitiveness of the emerging South African biosciences industry. Close interaction with the International Cooperation and Resources and the Frontier Science and Technology programmes of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has enabled the organisation to align with strategies at national level. In this respect, several strategic initiatives are being developed. Strong partnerships and collaborations with local universities and research councils have been formed, as well as with top institutions in Africa, Europe and the US. These partnerships have facilitated access to world-class laboratories and technologies. In line with the emphasis on scientific research, the unit has lodged eight Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patents during the year that protect multi-application technologies and will eventually lead to high-impact publications. Human capacity to increase the CSIR skills profile is being developed through studentship and postdoctoral programmes. 9
Mosquito repellent candle factory launched in Limpopo CSIR researchers and traditional healers who collaborated in studies on indigenous plants with mosquito repellent properties, celebrated the discovery in the mid-1990s of a novel mosquito repellent that proved to be more effective than similar or comparable commercial products on the market. In August 2005, this discovery resulted in another celebration when the Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom, officially launched a community-owned mosquito repellent candle factory in Limpopo, where this plant is being cultivated and distilled, and its essential oils used in the manufacturing of candles. Hi-Hanyile is the result of a project aimed at transferring CSIR essential oil production technology and skills to the Giyani community in Limpopo, with the DST providing the funding. The first stages of the project involved the establishment of a 30 ha cultivation site where lemon grass and the mosquito repellent essential oil crop, BP1, are grown and then processed in an essential oil distillation factory. The 650 m 2 factory contains equipment required to formulate the active ingredients of the candles, as well as to undertake manufacturing and packaging of 400 000 candles per year. The project currently provides employment for 67 people from rural communities around Giyani. Exploiting proteins to build molecular motors Proteins provide the functional scaffolding constituting all organisms, and enable complex chemical reactions (using enzymes) that can convert thousands of substrate molecules per second. Proteins are highly organised, forming efficient and stable nano- to micro-sized protein complexes. Determining the stability of the complexes gives insight into how these proteins are able to fold and interact in the cell, performing reactions that are not possible in a chemistry laboratory. CSIR researchers, Dr Neeresh Rohitlall (CSIR Biosciences) and Dr Raymond Sparrow (CSIR National Laser Centre), are exploiting these protein characteristics to build nanomotors — molecular devices which convert energy into movement and forces in the order of picoNewtons. Light has the potential to activate and control nano-machines that can kill cancer cells, or even help break up clots in blood vessels and the brain. Scientists hope to create nanomotors with applications that can target disease and repair damaged cells in the body. The CSIR’s molecular motor project is aimed at engineering a light-activated controllable power source that can be coupled to a variety of nanodevices. The proposed nanoscopic energy source is probably the smallest and most efficient known energy source. It is the only such power supply to introduce on/off controllability as fundamental to its design. The nanodevice can be developed for specific applications such as drug delivery, nanoengineering or minimally invasive nano-surgery, particularly for delicate tissues such as the retina. 10
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Biosciences - CSIR

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