We caught up with the University of Pretoria Senior lecturer Dr. Abe Kasonga, who recently attained a Y2 NRF rating.

Congratulations on attaining Y2 NRF rating. Please tell us about yourself.

I was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and after traveling a lot in my early life, my family settled in South Africa in 1998. In 2007 I was proud to receive my South African citizenship, and the following year I began my undergrad at the University of Pretoria. I continued my honours studies in 2011 and what I consider the start of my research career. My research project for my honours investigated the effects of select polyunsaturated fatty acids on resorption and osteoclast formation in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. For this work, I received an award in the category of student posters at the 2011 Faculty Research Day for the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria. My honours project became a pilot study for my MSc project: investigating the effects of select polyunstaurated fatty acids on resorption and osteoclast formation in human monocytes and mature osteoclasts. To learn the techniques needed to culture the human osteoclasts, I undertook a research visit to the Mellanby Bone Centre, University of Sheffield, in 2012 with support from the University of Pretoria Study Abroad Programme. The training was a success, and I returned to establish the methodology for culturing human osteoclasts in our laboratories. I have since been able to teach this technique to fellow students and staff members in our research group, which has led to several publications of which I was a co-author (Deepak, Bull Pharm Soc Ja, 2016; Deepak, Connect Tissue Res, 2015). I was further able to use this technique to complete my MSc with distinction (cum laude) in 2014, and an article on this work was published in PloSOne in 2015, on which I appeared as the first author. Since publication, this article has been cited 37 times by international researchers.

I received a first-place award at the 2013 Annual congress of the South African Academy for Science and the Arts: Division of Biological Sciences for a poster presentation on my MSc work. I presented this work at the 43rd Congress of the Physiological Society of South Africa (PSSA) in 2015 and at the 12th Congress of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) in 2016 in Cape Town, South Africa. To attend the ISSFAL congress, I was awarded the ISSFAL Travel Award ($350) and further won an award for the Top 3 New Investigators ($1 000) in recognition of my work. I additionally received an NRF Travel Grant (R14 150). Furthermore, the publication of my work was awarded Best MSc Paper at the PSSA Conference in 2016 (R1 000).

In 2015 I attended the European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS) Ph.D. Training Course. I presented a poster and met some renowned researchers from whom I learned much about bone research. This training course helped me develop my plans for my Ph.D. My Ph.D. focused on the role of free fatty acid receptors in osteoclasts and osteoblasts. To complete my Ph.D. I received the NRF Thuthuka grant from 2017-2019. The total value of this award over the three years was R1 060 000. This fund was used to conduct my research and train postgraduate students.

Furthermore, I used funds from my Thuthuka grant to attend the 13th ISSFAL congress (Las Vegas, USA) in 2018 to present part of my Ph.D. study. I was again awarded a top 10 new investigators award ($1 350) at this congress. I completed my Ph.D. in September 2018 and have published two manuscripts (Kasonga, Int J Mol Sci, 2019 and Kasonga BBA Mol Cel Biol Lipids, 2019) in high-impact journals from the findings of my study. These two papers have been cited a combined 27 times. I was again awarded an NRF Thuthuka grant for 2020-2022 (total value R 1 020 000).

I hope to establish my research team and further develop my research career. I am passionate about research and acquiring knowledge through experimental work. Although research is a challenge, it is a challenge I enjoy. Cellular research, in particular, fascinates me as one acquires an insight into the body's cellular functions, an insight that few ever see. Learning new techniques, as well as teaching these techniques, is another area of research that fascinates me. I undertook the responsibility of co-supervision for the first time in 2016 when I co-supervised an honours project. I have really enjoyed this and plan to continue in the future. The student's project, which I designed, investigated the effects of n-7 fatty acids on osteoclasts. We were able to publish these results in 2017. In 2020, I began supervision of an MSc student for the first time and graduated in 2022. I supervise two Hons students and four MSc students and co-supervise one Ph.D. student.

I have thirteen publications, my Scopus h-index is nine (192 citations), and my Web of Science h-index is eight (178 citations). This highlights that my research is internationally recognized. I am currently a member of ISSFAL and have previously held membership to the ECTS and the PSSA.

How do you feel about attaining a Y2 rating Dr. Kasonga?

It feels great. It is the culmination of several years of hard work, and I feel honoured to be recognized by the NRF as a promising young researcher.

What is your field of specialty, and please give a brief explanation of it?

My particular field is cellular bone research. Osteoporosis is a debilitating bone degenerative disease that affects millions of people worldwide. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men will suffer from an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime. Although treatments are available, there is no cure for the disease. My research group focuses on investigating novel treatments to improve bone health. We focus on natural compounds as they are less costly and have fewer side effects. We then test the effects of these compounds on bone cells to see if they can potentially improve bone health. We are further interested in discovering novel targets for the treatment of osteoporosis. In this regard, we have focused on a particular set of cell receptors that we believe could be used as targets to strengthen the bone and reduce fracture risk.

How are you going to use your new status as a Y2 NRF rated researcher to make a difference in your field? 

The NRF rating gives me access to more funding opportunities which will allow me to continue with my research. This will allow me to take on more postgraduate students and contribute towards the skills development in the research space in South Africa. I aim to increase my research outputs over the next few years and contribute to research toward a more cost-effective treatment for osteoporosis.

Please take us through the process you went through until you eventually attained a Y2 rating?

I first applied for a rating in 2019. However, after my application went through the review by the NRF panel, it was recommended that I withdraw my application as they felt it was premature. Although disappointed, I thought it was a fair recommendation and therefore withdrew my application. Over the next two years, I worked hard to increase my publications and take on more postgraduate students. In October 2021 I submitted my rating application for the second time. This time the reviews from the NRF panel were more positive, and after a few minor recommended changes were made, my application was sent for external review. Going through the process the first time helped me write a more robust application the second time. On the 20th of February 2023, I received the good news that I had been attained the NRF Y2 rating.

What does it mean for you as a researcher?

To be put in the same quality category of researchers awarded NRF ratings is a great honour. This is a recognition of my progress as a researcher and I feel motivated to push forward in my research career.

Any further information you wish to share with the readers? 

I just want to acknowledge my Head of Department, Prof Annie Joubert, and my mentor, who has since retired, Prof Magdalena Coetzee, and all my colleagues from the Department of Physiology for all their motivation and assistance throughout the years. I also want to acknowledge my wife, Edna Kasonga, and all my family for their love and support. This success is only possible because of my strong support at work and home.