Professor Joubert commenced research in molecular and cellular cancer physiology at the University of Pretoria (UP) in 1998 when she was appointed as a senior technical assistant in the Department of Physiology after obtaining a PhD in Biochemistry (UP).

Through her work, she hopes to strengthen collaborations with industry, and national and international research collaborations with the University of Oxford (UK), University of Bath (UK), University of Florida (USA), Baylor College of Medicine (USA), CRI INSERM (France), Joseph Fourier University (France) and Sabanci University (Turkey).

The focus of Prof Joubert’s research is mainly breast cancer, which is one of the most common forms of the disease in women – the lifetime risk of South African women getting breast cancer is one in 27. Her research focuses specifically on:
a) the in silico design performed by computer simulation of potential anti-cancer agents;
b) the chemical synthesis thereof in liaison with a pharmaceutical company; and
c) the evaluation of these agents for improved anti-cancer treatment.

The prevalence of cancer is increasing worldwide. Globally, 14 million people are diagnosed with the disease each year, and about nine million lose their lives to it annually. According to the Cancer Association of South Africa, breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men are among the top five cancers prevalent in the country. However, according to the World Health Organisation, between 30 and 50% of all cancer cases are preventable.

The research findings of Prof Joubert’s group contribute to the use of in silico virtual screening (VS) methods to identify lead compounds that are likely to succeed in further downstream assays and screens, including whole genome microarrays as well as protein arrays, in the search for potential anti-cancer agents. Making use of in silico VS methods helps scientists to identify novel compounds that significantly lower the cost of drug development by negating the need to synthesise unnecessary compounds that could not be removed prior to screening.

Prof Joubert is also contributing to translational research that entails scientific discoveries that can be applied to improve health outcomes and health care in the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UP, thus addressing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

She recently commenced with a leukaemia research project that looks at the role of platelets in the progression of chronic myeloid leukaemia, a condition that affects mostly older adults and is a type of leukaemia of the haematopoietic stem cells. Her fundamental cancer research links with clinical research, further contributing to translational research with a specific benefit for South African and African populations with unique genotypic and phenotypic characteristics.

Prof Joubert’s research efforts were prompted by the passing of her father, after he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia in September 2020 and COVID-19. She says that he taught her to believe in herself and to do her part to improve the quality of life of the people that she interacts with every day. Her other role models are Prof Albert Neitz, who supervised her PhD degree, and Prof Dirk van Papendorp, Head of the Department of Physiology. Both academics inspired her and motivated her to go the extra mile in her career, Prof Joubert says.

Keeping in mind the life skills her father taught her, Prof Joubert dreams of touching lives and hopes to be regarded as a good mentor to students and colleagues. “I would like to be remembered for having contributed to someone’s life in a positive way, whether it is teaching undergraduates and postgraduates, or contributing to the good health and well-being of all people.”

For relaxation, she enjoys pilates and gardening.

Professor Fourie Joubert grew up in Pretoria and received all his degrees from the University of Pretoria (UP). He was offered an academic position towards the end of his PhD and has been doing research at UP for 30 years; this includes his postgraduate projects. “I have not moved out of Pretoria, for employment or for personal reasons,” he says. “I have always respected the University of Pretoria.”

Prof Joubert says his research contributes to the betterment of the world because bioinformatics, and especially genomics, is relevant to every living organism. He is particularly interested in human health from a genomic perspective, and his own research programme focuses on breast cancer.

Within his academic discipline, his research group has worked on novel genomic variants that influence breast cancer susceptibility among South African patients. He collaborates widely with various groups at UP – including other faculties and institutes – that work on viruses, bacteria, fungi, insects, nematodes, plants, animals and humans. Prof Joubert particularly enjoys his collaborations with Prof Michael Pepper, Director of UP’s Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, on subjects such as cystic fibrosis, pharmacogenomics, COVID-19 and neonatal encephalopathy with suspected hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

His research group’s most recent highlight was having a paper published in Scientific Reports in February 2022 (Eygelaar, Jansen van Rensburg and Joubert). It describes novel breast cancer susceptibility variants among South African women.

Looking back on his journey as a researcher, he says there has been many people who have inspired his research effort and specifically mentions Dr. Francis Collins, former Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, (USA), at the time at the National Institutes of Health who led the public Human Genome sequencing project. He mentions that Dr. Collins remains a great advocate of Christianity, in the face of much adversity, which has inspired him in a personal regard.

“As a side line, I have also been following the work on neanderthal genomes and other ancient genome projects and was happy to see Svante Pääbo win this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his neanderthal genome work”.

As for academic role models, he mentions his wife, Prof Annie Joubert, who is the Head of UP’s Department of Physiology. “She has the best work ethic and the most caring nature for her colleagues that I have ever seen.”

Prof Joubert hopes to make a real difference in people’s lives through his research, including his students and the public. His research matters, he says, because African genomes have been severely neglected in the genomics era, particularly in terms of health. Many of the projects he is involved in attempt to remedy this situation.

The field of bioinformatics and genomics is crucial to much of the biological science research that is being done. Learners and undergraduates who are interested in the field should take note that it is highly multidisciplinary and never gets boring, he says. “There is a place for everyone in the field.”

His hobbies and interests include riding his Harley Davidson motorcycles with his son Louis and wife Annie, and importantly Luke and Leia, his Golden Retrievers.