The Division of Medical Biochemistry is a preclinical, basic science division within the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences of the School for Biomedical Sciences at the Health Sciences Faculty of the University of Cape Town
The Division of Medical Biochemistry was established in 1978. The Division is housed in Wernher and Beit North Building which is part of the building complex of the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine which is located on the Medical Campus. The Division consists of seven Senior Academic members, eight Post-doctoral Fellows and seven Technical and Support Staff. The Division of Medical Biochemistry is one of the largest Divisions of the School of Biomedical Sciences and has 50 Postgraduate students who are enrolled in the Honours, MSc or PhD programmes the Division offers. |
| Structural Biology Research Unit accreditation - March 2012
The Structural Biology Research Unit in the Division of Medical Biochemistry, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences has been successfully accredited by the URC.
Read more » |
Research in the Division is diverse and multidisciplinary and includes the following focus areas:
- GnRH receptors, signalling, structure – function and as a target for development of therapeutics for treatment of reproductive cancers (Katz lab, and affiliated Millar labs)
- Molecular mechanisms of cervical cancer and oesophageal cancer development and progression (Leaner, Hendricks and Parker labs)
- Identification and characterisation of anticancer drugs in natural products (Hendricks lab)
- Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) structure activity relationships and development of ACE inhibitors (drug design) for treatment of hypertension, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction and renal disease (Sturrock lab)
- Application of functional proteomics for diagnostics, drug and vaccine development for infectious disease and cancers (Blackburn lab).
- Diagnostic, structure and function studies in the porphyrias and haem biosynthesis (Meissner lab - currently sited and staffed in the Dept. of Medicine)
- Structural basis for differential regulation of glutamine synthetase in humans and the malaria parasite, structural studies on the nitrilase family of enzymes in the context of cancer, mycothiol synthetic pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Sewell lab - currently located on UCT upper campus)
|
|
| CONTACT DETAILS |
Head of Division:
Professor Peter Meissner
Tel: +27-21-4066206
Fax: +27-21-4066061
Email:
peter.meissner@uct.ac.za |
Secretary:
Tel: +27-21-4047712
Email:
jene.ward@uct.ac.za |
Mailing Address:
Division of Medical Biochemistry
Faculty of Health Sciences
Private Bag X3
Observatory 7935
South Africa |
|
