Petronella Sibeene
16 April 2008
Windhoek — The University of Namibia Science Department continues to make inroads in its quest to find remedies that would cure resistant parasitical and other viral infections.
Dean of the Science Faculty Professor Enos Kiremire says new compounds containing highly active elements that could be used in drug production have been discovered.
The discovery means that these biological compounds can be tested against resistant diseases, especially malaria.
In Namibia, malaria is the fifth leading cause of death after HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, pneumonia, gastro-enteritis and cancer.
In the year 2005, 369 077 cases of malaria were recorded. A total of 1 325 known deaths resulted from the disease.
Five Namibian students, three undergraduate students and two Masters of Science students are the brains behind the new discoveries.
The students under the supervision of Kiremire have produced the compounds that have the potential to cure a host of resistant parasitical and viral infections.
Unam sent its samples to the University of Cape Town for organic chemical preparations that were bound to metal ions to make a series of new compounds.
The compounds were eventually sent to the University of California in the United States of America, where further biological analysis against malaria was done.
In total, the 76 compounds were sent to the University of California for testing against the chloroquine-resistant strain of the malaria parasite.
Four of the Unam-synthesized compounds made it to the top ten on the list.
"They were tested against a recombinant plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistant strain parasite. What is more unique about the number one ranked compound is the fact that it contains two metals," Kiremire said.
The next step is to improve on the quality of the compounds, Kiremire added.
Infecting animals with the parasite to test the potency of the compounds will then follow.
Depending on the results, a trial period on humans will follow and once the outcome is comparable to existing malaria medicines, the production stage will be sought, the professor said.
Kiremire stressed that research with enormous potential should be encouraged and supported because it equally has benefits not only to Unam as an institution but also the country.
"For example, Emory University in the USA generates US$720 million annually after it discovered compounds being used in the production of ARVs," Kiremire said.
Unlike in the western world, the Dean of Science lamented, African universities do not venture much in research despite an abundance of brains on the continent.
"We need to put emphasis in researching if Namibia has to attain Vision 2030," he said.
Kiremire said there is need to invest in local laboratories and equipment to protect intellectual property and reduce the risk of information leakage on new scientific findings.
It took Unam four months for the findings to be laboratory proven. If facilities were available locally, Kiremire said, it would take the department two weeks to conclude its work.
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