UP part of global research team to present the first image of Sagittarius A*

Astronomers have unveiled the first image of the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy. The announcement was made at simultaneous press conferences around the world. Professor Roger Deane, an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria and Director for the Centre of Astrophysics at the University of Witwatersrand and Wits Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr Iniyan Natarajan, were part of this global collaboration with the Event Horizon Telescope team. They are the only two African-based representatives who are part of the global team of more than 300 astronomers.

Technology

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Research Matters shows how the University of Pretoria creates a world of answers by highlighting some of our most impactful and innovative research, all of which addresses society’s most pressing concerns in order to transform lives and communities.

Education

Traditional knowledge to enhance modern medicine

Problem

Prof Namrita Lall of the Department of Plant Science in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Pretoria, is bringing science and traditional knowledge together and making it accessible to the modern market by tapping into South Africa's diverse pool of plant life and making it available for medicinal and cosmeceutical use.

An estimated 20 000 plant species are used medicinally today and a number of ingredients commonly used in modern medicine to treat serious diseases, originate from plant-based traditional medicine. Despite the fact that it constitutes only 2% of the world's land surface, South Africa is one of only 17 countries worldwide that is considered mega-diverse in terms of its plant life, which comprises more than 25 000 different indigenous plant species, or about 10% of all the known plant species on Earth, thus making it a prime location for research in this field.

Prof Namrita Lall

Solution

Prof Lall has been studying medicinal plants for more than 20 years, using science to prove their efficacy, and has thereby validated traditional knowledge. Although the process of testing plants for beneficial properties is often delayed by a lack of resources and time, she has successfully completed the process for a number of plants that are now ready for commercialisation.

Prof Lall explains that plants are selected in two ways, namely through ethno-botanical selection or phytochemistry. In the ethno-botanical approach, plants used by indigenous communities for traditional purposes – for instance, for food and medicine – are tested to see if they have medicinal value, while the phytochemistry approach involves the use of existing knowledge about the chemical substances found in specific plants. If a plant is rich in a specific chemical compound that could be of medicinal or cosmeceutical use, it is isolated and trials are run to determine its usability.

Progress

Over the years Prof Lall has discovered a number of plants that can be used for the effective treatment of skin conditions, ranging from pigmentation abnormalities and wrinkles to acne, and is waiting for their permits to be finalised before they can be commercialised.

As part of a flagship project identified by the Department of Science and Technology as a result of Prof Lall’s work, she is currently involved in a project in Mamelodi where together with postgraduate students from UP, she is helping farmers to cultivate plants that can be used for medicinal purposes.

It is very exciting to think about the potential of Prof Lall's work. Her outstanding research findings will be beneficial on a number of levels, from the growing link between academia and industry, to enriching the lives of rural communities and improving the well-being of the people who use these products.