FOCUS AREA: INTERVENTION TECHNOLOGIES IN HEALTH SCIENCES
Focus area leader: Prof Alvaro Viljoen
Basic health research is defined as the process of doing research that will lead to applied health
interventions or activities. The focus is on promoting health in a health continuum, starting with
basic health research that could result in applied health research. The focus is non-clinical in the
sense that it is not primarily involved with diagnosis and treatment. Basic research is a scientific
investigation to generate and refine theory, build constructs and examine the underlying
mechanisms of actions of an intervention. This is a new research focus area and departments
should recruit new postgraduate students to link their research projects to this focus area. The
research focus area will then become more narrowly defined and specific in future. The vision is
to encourage strong support for the focus area from all the participating departments. The aims
with this focus area are to develop and implement evidence-based interventions and techniques
in health-related problems; to use opportunities offered by partnerships to improve research
knowledge and skills for training in the health industry, and to broaden the TUT postgraduate
student output base.
NICHE AREAS
Natural products in drug development
The main focus of this niche area is to investigate different pharmaceutical applications of
compounds from natural origin, such as drug product development and optimisation of drug
delivery. A multidisciplinary approach is followed to study diverse aspects of natural compounds,
such as how natural products are absorbed and delivered, with emphasis on the oral and
transdermal routes of administration, the stability of natural products in simulated gastrointestinal
fluids, the use of natural products as excipients in drug delivery systems, the influence of different
factors on the biological activities of natural products, and microbiological aspects of natural
products. Scientific evidence for the effective use of different plant extracts and components in
the treatment of a variety of conditions and as excipients in drug therapies will be investigated as
well as the variation of medicinal plant phytoconstituents based on geographical distribution. The
very important issue of quality control of supplements from natural origin also fits into this niche
area. Therefore, the research in this niche area does not only focus on the generation of new
knowledge, but also on the application and utilisation of this knowledge in the formulation,
production and quality control of new and existing pharmaceutical products from natural origin.
Leader: Prof Sias Hamman
Exercise and immune/inflammatory responses in healthy adults
Moderate exercise appears to enhance immunity, while excessive exercise appears to suppress
immune function and increase the risk of upper respiratory tract infection. The alterations in
immune function that result in increased or reduced protection are not clear. One aim of our
group will be an attempt to define these mechanisms. It is well established that certain types of
exercise induce an acute inflammatory response. However, it is also well accepted that specific
forms of exercise (aerobic) are protective against cardiovascular disease, which is now regarded
as an inflammatory condition. Thus, another focus of the group is to determine how repetitive
bouts of exercise may alter systemic inflammation. The areas of research will include assessment
of circulating antibodies, acute phase proteins, cytokines, chemokines, cell adhesion molecules
and growth factors. In addition, salivary markers as well as markers from nasal lavage will be
assessed.
Leader: Prof Lucille Smith