Page 131 - SAMRC AnnualReport 2025-26

P E R FOR M A NC E I N FOR M A T I ON

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS UNDER THIS PROGRAMME

Biomedical Research
and Innovation Platform
(BRIP)

UNIT DIRECTOR:

Prof. Rabia Johnson
rabia.johnson@mrc.ac.za

Overview of the Research Unit medicine research, attracting external funding,
hosting an annual scientific conference attended
The Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform by more than 280 delegates, and contributing to
(BRIP) undertakes cutting-edge preclinical and national policy through chapters in the South African
clinical research focused on non-communicable Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of
diseases (NCDs), including obesity, diabetes, Obesity in Adults.
hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and
related metabolic disorders. The Platform’s strategic Key Milestones and Achievements
research areas include metabolic health; maternal
and child health, including diabetes in pregnancy; In the 2025/2026 financial year, BRIP focused on
the intersection of NCDs with infectious and addressing the growing burden of metabolic
mental health conditions; gut health; genomics and disorders in Africa through the development of
pathogen surveillance; and capacity development locally relevant therapeutics, biomarker discovery,
for research. and precision health strategies, with a strong
emphasis on indigenous knowledge systems and
BRIP’s work focuses on understanding disease disease pathophysiology.
mechanisms at the molecular and cellular levels, A major challenge addressed during the year was
identifying biomarkers and therapeutic targets, the limited scientific validation and documentation
and accelerating the development of improved of health claims associated with traditional products
diagnostics, prevention strategies, and treatments. and locally sourced therapeutics. In response,
A distinctive area of focus is the scientific evaluation BRIP conducted a SAHPRA-approved clinical
of bioactive compounds derived from African trial in collaboration with traditional medicine
Traditional Medicine, contributing to therapeutic practitioners, generating critical safety data to
discovery and innovation rooted in local biodiversity. strengthen the scientific and regulatory pipeline
for African Traditional Medicine and support future
The Platform currently hosts over 50 active projects,
including one intellectual property disclosure, and clinical translation and therapeutic innovation.
has produced peer-reviewed publications during The Platform also advanced novel therapeutic
the 2025/2026 financial year. Over the reporting approaches for diabetic cardiomyopathy, with
period, BRIP achieved several important milestones, cannabidiol demonstrating multi-target effects on
including securing provisional SANAS accreditation, inflammation and fibrosis. BRIP researchers further
leading national consortia in cancer and traditional contributed directly to the 2025 South African

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