DST/NRF South African Research Chair (SARChI): Sustainable Malaria Control: Drug Discovery

Affiliation: Drug Discovery & Development Centre (H3D), Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town

Tel: +27 (0)21 650 5495

E-mail: [email protected]

The Chair focusses on integrated drug discovery directed at tropical diseases including malaria with overall goal to identify quality leads suitable for optimization and antimalarial candidate selection. Mechanism of action studies by target identification is done using combined genomics and proteomics. Drug Discovery is an integral part of UCT’s Drug Discovery & Development Centre (H3D), the extramural MRC/UCT Drug Discovery and Development Research Unit and as a focus in the cross-faculty Institute for Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM). H3D is the first and only fully integrated modern drug discovery center in Africa, harnessing modern pharmaceutical industry skills and expertise in the drug discovery value chain. It integrates medicinal chemistry, biology, pharmacology as well as drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics. The MRC/UCT Unit focus on the establishment of scientific infrastructure as well as capacity for drug discovery and development. Prof Kelly Chibale is the Founder and Director for both H3D and the extramural MRC unit.

Kelly Chibale