Research focus: My current research focusses on the role of intestinal inflammation and immune responses in the development of Type 2 diabetes using cell culture and animal models.

Biography:

Dr Riedel graduated from the University of Muenster, Germany, in April 2012. Her doctoral studies focused on the preventive properties of omega3 fatty acids against the induction of precancerous lesions. From 2009 to 2013 she coordinated projects on anticancer properties of rooibos and honeybush herbal teas, including effects on apoptosis and inflammation in a variety of human cell culture models as Scientist at the SAMRC. Since her transfer to the Biomedical research and Innovation Platform (BRIP) in 2014, her projects included investigation of preventive effects of plant extracts on insulin resistance in cell cultures and animal models. Dr Riedel is specialising in exploring intestinal permeability and immunological mechanisms and their role in the pathophysiology of metabolic disease for which she has received grant funding from the South African Rooibos Council (SARC), National Research Foundation (NRF) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Dr Riedel has served as peer-reviewer for 11 international journals and supervised 1 PhD student, 9 MSc students and 3 BSc Hons students. She has been affiliated with the Division of Medical Physiology at the University of Stellenbosch as extraordinary lecturer since 2016.