Professor Melvin Ambele is a senior research officer in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, seconded to the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Pretoria (UP). He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Buea in Cameroon and his PhD studies in Biological Chemistry at the University of Cape Town in 2014. From 2014 to 2016, Prof Ambele was a postdoctoral research fellow in UP’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

He says he prefers doing research at UP because it is a prestigious research-intensive university with excellent infrastructure to support teaching and research across various disciplines

His research focuses on identifying molecular targets that regulate lipid accumulation and the formation of adipocytes. Obesity is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate, and a recent survey by the Human Sciences Research Council shows that 50% of South African adults are overweight or obese.

“The identification and characterisation of such targets would serve as a candidate for anti-obesity drug development to combat obesity and associated metabolic disorders,” Prof Ambele explains. “This will be greatly significant in addressing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 to ensure good health and well-being for all, and in that way, contribute to the betterment of the world.”

Prof Ambele leads a team of researchers that includes postgraduate students. He works across faculties with Dr Pontsho Moela and Dr Ntlotlang Mokgautsi of the Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

Prof Ambele says the research team may have identified a key gene that is responsible for lipid accumulation in adipocytes and the development of obesity. In preclinical studies, deleting this gene in mice not only significantly improved glucose metabolism and reduced lipid accumulation in various adipose tissues, but also led to a substantial decrease in lipid accumulation in critical organs such as the liver, lungs, muscles, heart and kidneys. These groundbreaking findings suggest that the gene, Slc7a8, could be a promising target for developing new anti-obesity treatments that may also protect against obesity-related conditions, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and other metabolic syndromes.

This new, ongoing research aims to unravel the detailed molecular mechanisms through which Slc7a8 mediates lipid accumulation in adipose tissues and other critical organs, to serve as a viable therapeutic target for obesity.

“The alarming global rise in obesity, which is a complex multi-systemic disease with no readily available treatment, has been my primary motivation for conducting research in this field to identify potentially viable targets for drug development,” Prof Ambele says. “I hope to effectively identify and characterise a key molecular factor that could be successfully targeted for the treatment of obesity and its associated comorbidities.”

His research matters because obesity is also a risk factor with regard to various non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers, neurological disorders, chronic respiratory diseases and digestive disorders.

“These conditions have a significant impact on the quality of life globally,” Prof Ambele says. “Identifying an effective molecular target could offer a promising opportunity for the successful development of a drug to treat obesity and these related comorbidities.”

This would enable countries around the world to achieve SDG 3 targets for good health and well-being

His advice to school learners or undergraduates interested in his field is to pursue their passion and to focus on finding solutions to issues of global significance like obesity.

“Research in obesity offers great opportunities for both learning and career development.”

Prof Ambele’s interests include football, wildlife safari and singing.