Page 159 - SAMRC Annual Report 2024-2025

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Key Milestones and Achievements Building Capacity Through
Secured Major Research Grants & Industry Training, Mentorship, and Support
Partnerships. The unit secured multi-million-rand The Research Unit has made significant
funding from industry leaders such as Pierre Fabre, contributions to research capacity building through
RedX Pharmaceuticals, and Avon to support clinical structured training, mentorship, and postgraduate
trials for anti-fibrotic therapies. These partnerships development initiatives.
accelerate translational research, ensuring rapid
development of novel keloid and wound healing Postgraduate Training & Mentorship: Supervised
treatments. Breakthrough in Keloid Scarring and mentored over 20 MSc and PhD candidates,
Research & Patents. The unit established the first with research projects spanning wound healing,
keloid fibroblast cell line, enabling high-throughput fibrosis, and dermatology; Ensured high research
drug screening and genomic research on fibrosis. output, with multiple publications, international
conference presentations, and patent applications;
Patents granted or under review: Phenyl- And, Facilitated access to state-of-the-art laboratory
Pyrazolo[3,4-B] Pyridine-4-Carboxylic Acid infrastructure, equipping students with cutting-edge
Derivatives for use as 5-Alpha Reductase
Antagonists (Patent: 2218325.5 – Awarded); Human biomedical research skills, through non-traditional
Keloid Fibroblast Cell Line (Patent: 2300611.7 – fundraising and contract research strategies.
Pending); and Method and Compounds for Treating Postdoctoral Fellowship Support: Hosted
Keloids (Patent: 2023902059 – Under Review). These postdoctoral researchers, fostering scientific
innovations pave the way for targeted, effective independence and leadership in translational
treatments and potential commercialisation dermatology; and, supported career progression,
opportunities. with fellows securing faculty positions at UCT, Wits,
and international institutions. Skills Development &
Capacity-Building & Training Future Experts:
Trained 20+ postgraduates and postdoctoral Industry Training: Launched the SAQA-accredited
fellows, equipping them with advanced skills in Advanced Diploma in Cosmetic Formulation
dermatological research; and launched the first Science, reached over 100 graduates in 2024; and
SAQA-accredited Advanced Diploma in Cosmetic Industry partnerships enabled hands-on training in
Formulation Science, an industry-specific skills clinical trials, bioinformatics, and drug discovery.
development programme that preferentially These initiatives strengthen South Africa's research
accepts unemployed science-enhancing career ecosystem, ensuring a pipeline of highly skilled
pathways in dermatology and cosmetic science. dermatology and biomedical professionals.
These achievements reinforce the unit's role in
scientific innovation, collaborations, and improving Navigating the Impact of US
dermatological healthcare. Executive Orders on Funding

The US Executive Orders on research funding
have had both direct and indirect implications
for the Wound and Keloid Scarring Translational
Research Unit. Reduced Access to US-Based Grants.
Restrictions on international research collaborations
and funding eligibility have limited access to NIH
and other US federal grants, impacting potential
financial support for dermatological and fibrosis
research.
Shift in Research Partnerships – The unit has diversified
its funding sources, strengthening collaborations
with European, African, and industry partners to
Unit hosts National Diploma in Biotechnology mitigate reliance on US-based funding. Impact on
interns for hands-on lab experience at the Research Infrastructure & Technology Acquisition.
Hair and Skin Research Lab. Delays in procurement of research equipment and
reagents due to regulatory changes have slowed

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