Alumni

Photo	Student Name	Project	Links
Post-Doc
PhD
	Tarryn Radomsky	This study aims to determine the mechanisms by which variants in the luteinising hormone receptor (LHR) affect receptor localisation (and thus cause disease) and are processed by the cells quality control machinery. Additionally, we aim to determine how these different processes are affected by pharmacological chaperone rescue, by investigation into all aspects of receptor processing, trafficking, localisation and interactions with cellular proteins.	https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarryn-radomsky-0b355382/
MSc
	Erik Scheepers	Osteoporosis is a prevalent disease in post-menopausal women that is characterized by dysregulation between bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone deposition by osteoblasts. It is well known that the decrease in oestrogen post-menopause contributes to the development of osteoporosis. However, recent studies have shown that the subsequent increase in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels may also play a role. This project aims to investigate the effect of an FSH receptor antagonist on the formation and maturation of osteoclasts (responsible for bone resorption) in an in vitro setting using RAW 264.7 murine macrophages.	https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-scheepers-48859116b/
	Hons
	David van Heerden	There are many notable disparities in breast cancer incidence and outcome in black women in South Africa, however the biological influence on these disparities is largely unexplored. My project aims to use a bioinformatics approach to identify novel germline and somatic variants associated with breast cancer in black South African women. This will provide the basis for future research into the functional effects of variants for the sake of developing improved diagnostics and treatments.	https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-van-heerden/ https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9209-4723
	Emma Durdey	Malaria is a deleterious disease that is seen to take the lives of approximately half a million people per year. The incidence of this disease is climbing at an alarming rate due to increasing resistance of the parasite as well as a decrease in effectiveness of current treatments. Thus it is imperative for new drug discovery to alleviate this problem. This research aims to discover novel potential antimalarial drugs. Possible antimalarial compounds will be tested on erythrocytes to determine their effect on erythrocytic phenotypic characteristics as well as intracellular signalling cascades.	https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-durdey-1bba772b6/
	Zimazile Callista Ndlovu	Puberty is a complex hormonal process triggered during childhood development. Recent research suggests a protein called MKRN3 plays a role in regulating puberty timing. Mutations in this protein are linked to central precocious pubertal onset, where puberty starts too early. In this project, the focus will be to understand the role of the MKRN3 RNA putative binding domains in puberty onset using a proteomics approach.	https://www.linkedin.com/in/zimazile-callista-ndlovu/
	Seluliwe Manana	Kisspeptins are regarded as one of the main regulators of reproduction in humans, by controlling the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone. The coding sequences of these peptides and of their cognate receptor; KISS1R can sometimes undergo mutations resulting in different variants, some of which may be pathogenic, resulting in reproductive disorders. This study will focus on the identification of potential pharmacological able to rescue KISS1R variants. The compounds being tested are the non-peptide KISS1R antagonist 15a and the modified peptide antagonist P-271. The successful rescue of the mutant KISS1Rs with one or both compounds would provide a proof of concept that could aid in the future development of appropriate therapeutics, enabling treatment of reproductive dysfunctions caused by KISS 1R mutations.

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