Director: Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI), Prof Jeanine Marnewick, a guest speaker at the Cape Branch seminar series of the South African Association for Food Science and Technology (SAAFoST) at Bellville Campus, said diet plays an important role in disease prevention, and antioxidants form an important part of “our diet”.

Marnewick, who is also a Research chair: Biotechnology at the Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute, presented an update on this, as a follow-up from her first talk she did in 2014. “Antioxidants remain a ‘hot’ and relevant topic attracting much attention.” The title of her talk was: Dietary antioxidants: do we really need them: an update and Rooibos perspective, as this indigenous herbal tea contains unique antioxidants and contributes significantly to our daily antioxidant intake,’ she says.

Marnewick, a NRF-rated scientist, has been in the field of medicinal plant research for more than 25 years. Her focus is on innovative prevention strategies using medicinal plants and phytochemicals aimed at non-communicable diseases, with a focus on cardiometabolic disease and cancer. Elucidating bio-activities of and substantiating health claims around the South African herbal teas, Rooibos and Honeybush and the fact that the prevalence of cancer and heart disease (both involving oxidative stress) in South Africa is increasing, stimulated her research.

The studies she and her team have conducted resulted not only in the first scientific evidence on the chemopreventive properties of Rooibos and honeybush, but also on the first clinical evidence on Rooibos and the promotion of heart health. She is the winner of the NSTF/South 32 Awards 2020 in the Category Science Communication, for leading a team that promotes rooibos as a health promoting option, supported by science.

“From all the scientific evidence thus far, it is clear that dietary antioxidants could play an important role in promoting human health, thus enjoy your daily cuppa Rooibos.”

Lecturer & Curriculum officer: Department of Food Science and Technology (DFST), Dr Vusi Mshayisa, who is also a member of the Cape branch committee, played a critical role in ensuring the event's success by bringing together DFST, SAAFoST and Agrifoods Technology Station (ATS). Mshayisa said the event was the first hybrid meeting of this nature. “At DFST, we are committed to fostering industry partnerships to enrich our student's learning experiences through engagement with professionals in the field.”

The event started with a warm welcome address by Dr George Charimba, DFST acting head of department, who underscored the significance of bridging the gap between academia and industry. Meanwhile Ndumiso Mshicileli, Manager from Agrifoods Technology Station (ATS), “our generous sponsor”, shared insights into the station's pivotal projects and their future aspirations.

Mshayisa added that he was impressed by the captivating presentation by Marnewick on dietary antioxidants. “Her expertise sparked engaging discussions among the attendees, providing valuable insights into the subject matter. Overall, the event was a success, and we hope to have more events of this nature in the future.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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CPUT researchers are currently exploring whether Rooibos can play a preventative role in exercise-induced oxidative stress.

The study is the first of its kind and stems from a clinical trial led by Prof Jeanine Marnewick that found conclusive evidence of the health-promoting properties of Rooibos in humans.

EXPERTS: Prof Marnewick and her team of researchers at the Oxidative Stress Research Centre were visited by the SABC’s 50/50 team to report on the rooibos research done at CPUT.

Researchers traced the protective effect of Rooibos in adults who are at risk for heart disease. As part of the clinical trial, participants consumed six cups of Rooibos tea a day over six weeks. Results showed that the consumption of Rooibos decreased oxidative stress and cholesterol.

“Because of the results, we thought we would look at another population, not in terms of disease, but in terms of lifestyle,” said Prof Marnewick.

MONITOR: A researcher watches on as a participant completes an exercise.

The current study, which is being conducted in conjunction with Prof Simon Davies from the Sports Management Department, is looking at whether the intake of a Rooibos supplement can reduce oxidative stress that occurs during certain sporting activities.

Oxidative stress can be defined as an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants in favor of the oxidants. Free radicals are a good example of oxidants, as they are unstable molecules that can cause damage to important cell components, such as genetic material, lipids and proteins. One of the sources of free radicals in our body can include strenuous exercise when our cells use oxygen to produce energy

Research has found that oxidative stress plays a role in the development of a whole range of diseases, including cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimers.

Prof Marnewick said although the body has its own anti-oxidant defense system, which combats the free radicals, it very often is not sufficient under certain conditions including strenuous physical activity.

The study will determine whether or not the intake of Rooibos, which contains a unique blend of anti-oxidants, can assist with combating the free radicals, in a bid to protect human cells.

Currently 44 male students are participating in the clinical trial, which are held at CPUT’s Human Performance Lab at the Mowbray Campus.

PREPARATION: Researchers prepare a participant for one of the exercises.

The trial sees students consuming Rooibos or placebo supplements, produced by CPUT, before participating in various exercises.

DEEP BREATH: Participants are closely monitored.

 “We draw blood before, during and after the exercise. This is to measure various biochemical parameters as well as monitor certain exercise performance outcomes” said Marnewick.

The trial, which started in May, will culminate in December. Thereafter the lab work will begin, with the results expected for release in 2012.

By Candes Keating

Photographs: Clive von Metzinger

Written by CPUT News
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Rooibos is good for you.

This is the word being spread by Prof Jeanine Marnewick, who heads up the Oxidative Stress Research Unit at the CPUT.

Marnewick made history in 2011 when her clinical trial revealed that drinking six cups of rooibos per day holds definite health benefits, and specifically helps to reduce oxidative stress in the body and lower the risk of heart disease.

She shared her findings with CPUT news:

Can you tell us more about your research on rooibos?

There are very few human studies currently available on rooibos to evaluate the health promoting effect of this proudly South African product, and we were the first to report the protective effect six cups of rooibos have on adults at risk for heart disease.

This study was the result of years of doing basic scientific research on rooibos, and thus for me personally a landmark in my career as a scientist. Subsequently, more scientists from across the world have reported on the health benefits of rooibos.

Apart from the scientific importance of this study, the evidence also serves to inform and educate the consumers of rooibos in our communities. Recently, news reported an increase in the popularity of rooibos across the world. For a scientist this means research coming full circle, from the test tube to influencing the community and the economy in some way or another.

What research projects are you currently focusing on?

As is the case in most scientific fields, results generate more questions and thus require more research to be done. This is exactly the case with rooibos and we are involved with a number of studies now ranging from basic research (investigating the bio-activities of the other indigenous herbal tea, Honeybush), to another clinical intervention study that is earmarked for the near future that will involve a multidisciplinary approach with both national and international collaborators.

What do you enjoy most about being a researcher?

Over the years as the emphasis of one’s work moves more towards management, I realized that the most enjoyable time I have had was as a young researcher with fellow students in the laboratory getting our hands dirty.

Now I am privileged to share my knowledge and expertise with my postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows I supervise, and there is nothing more heartwarming and rewarding for me to see them develop into a young researcher with a will to make the world a better place through their research.

What do you attribute your success to?

Very often the public has the perception of a scientist being a very lonely figure working behind closed doors. In my case it cannot be further from the truth, as looking back now on my career I realized that I have always been part of a team and associated myself with experts in the field in order to grow my own research network and team, and that is a great part of success. “No man is an island”. Of course personal attributes such as curiosity, patience, tenacity and having a strong work ethic are crucial for succeeding as a scientist.

Do you have any words of advice for the generation of women researchers behind you?

It is extremely important to have a very good foundation in science, thus from school focus on science and mathematics, know your field of science, become the expert, surround yourself with professionals in the scientific community.

As a woman you will be facing different challenges, tackle them head-on, do not compromise your own values, never lose your curiosity for science, be patient, hardworking and you will reap the rewards.

Remember the famous quote: “A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong it is until it is in hot water”. 

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Postdoctoral fellow Dr Naeem Sheik Abdul has added another accolade to his name – the prestigious Colgate-Palmolive Postdoctoral Award in In Vitro Toxicology.

The award supports research to advance the development of alternatives to animal testing in toxicological research.

Last year Sheik Abdul, a postdoctoral fellow at the Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI), won first place in the science poster awards of the virtual Summer School on Innovative Approaches in Science.

Of his most recent accolade, Sheik Abdul said: “I felt ecstatic and grateful to receive this prestigious award. The funding will be instrumental in advancing my research here at CPUT. I also felt deeply honoured to be recognised by scientists in the field who acknowledge the novelty and importance of the study. It is also very encouraging to receive this award at such an early stage in my research career.”

His project is titled: Role of Non-coding RNAs in Fumonisin B1–Induced Metabolic Toxicity: An Alternate Mechanism of Action.

“Mycotoxin contamination of staple, dietary crops, such as maize, pose a serious threat to food safety and nutrition security in Africa. Despite this, there remains a dearth of knowledge on the effects that these toxins have on metabolic pathways. The present study will look to explore and validate the impact of Fumonisin B1 (FB1) on cell energy metabolism, with a strong focus on non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that play important roles in regulating gene expression and regulatory loops that function in maintaining metabolic homeostasis,” he explained.

“FB1 is categorised as a class 2B carcinogen, but mechanisms relating to its tumorigenic potential are not fully elucidated. The findings from this work will advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms and unravel the metabolic toxicity of this mycotoxin in relation to its cancer-promoting effects.”

Sheik Abdul said he enjoys the revolutionary process and innovative thinking that science fosters.

“As a researcher, my career aspirations are to contribute to translational research which improves human health directly. I have also had the privilege of being mentored by amazing scientists in the field who helped grow and realise that tackling problems through pro-active scientific research is the best way to provide important information about disease trends and risk factors, as well as intervention strategies.”

AMHBI Director Prof Jeanine Marnewick, said Sheik Abdul’s work was chosen for being outstanding and cutting-edge.

“The Society of Toxicology Awards Programme has been honouring the excellence of those in toxicology for the past 50 years. I am extremely proud of Naeem for setting his sights high, making the effort and achieving the goal. I know the hard work and dedication he has put in to secure this award. The competition was stiff. I wish him continued success as this achievement will definitely contribute positively to his career path as a scientist here at CPUT and looking forward to supporting him and his work here at AMHBI.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI) will be hosting the CPUT Biotechnology Research Symposium on September 7.

AMHBI Director, Prof Jeanine Marnewick, said the main objectives were to inform the CPUT research community about the field of microbial and health biotechnology and how it may contribute to our bio-economy through the innovation pipeline. It also aimed to introduce the research community to some of the research projects taking place in AMHBI.

The speakers include:

• Prof Don Cowan, Director - Genomics Research Institute and Director: Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, University of Pretoria
• Prof Jürgen Pleiss, Bioinformatics Group Leader, Institute of Biochemistry and Technical Biochemistry, University of Stuttgart
• Prof Brett Pletschke, Professor of Biochemistry, Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, Rhodes University
• Prof Sias Hamman, Professor in Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, North West University
• Dr Revel Iyer, Director - CPUT Technology Transfer Office

Click here to join: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_Nzg4YjFhNTItOWE3OS00ZDFjLTk3MjQtODM1NTc0NjMxZGY4%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2290bb22db-a73a-4971-b7d6-7ca3ef90cf06%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2243287890-144c-4465-ac07-b4f5895860be%22%7d

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Two outstanding CPUT researchers have been selected as finalists in the NSTF-South32 Awards, known as the ‘Science Oscars’ of South Africa.

The awards celebrate the top South African minds in science, engineering and technology and winners will be announced at a gala dinner at Emperors Palace tonight (June 28).

The two finalists are Prof Tandi Matsha, who was recently awarded the National Research Foundation’s SARChI Research Chair in Cardiometabolic Health and Prof Jeanine Marnewick, who was recently appointed as Research Chair of the Institute of Biomedical and Microbial Biotechnology.

Matsha is the founder and lead researcher of CPUT’s Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences and was nominated in the category: TW Kambule-NSTF Awards: Researcher (contribution to research and its outputs over a period of up to 15 years as a researcher, predominantly in South Africa).

Her current research focuses on diabetes and cardiovascular risk in the coloured community of Bellville South.

Marnewick has made a concerted effort to get the word out about the research she is doing into how rooibos is useful as a way to reduce and protect against the impact of non-communicable diseases because of the tea’s antioxidant activity.

EXCELLENT: Prof Jeanine Marnewick

She heads up the Oxidative Stress Research Centre and was nominated in the category Communication for outreach and creating awareness of SET and innovation award.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The new Research Chair of CPUT’s Institute of Biomedical and Microbial Biotechnology (IBMB) plans to take the institute to the next level over the next five years.

Prof Jeanine Marnewick is no stranger to the IBMB, having previously served as co-chair to Prof Wentzel Gelderblom.

Marnewick, who also heads up the Oxidative Stress Research Centre in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences, made the headlines in 2011 when her clinical trial revealed that drinking six cups of rooibos per day holds definite health benefits, and specifically helps to reduce oxidative stress in the body and improves the cholesterol profile – all aspects that modulate the development of heart disease.

She said the Institute’s main focus this year would be a review process of the past five years and setting up a new five-year business plan. “The institute will be reviewed by international reviewers and with that, we will also devise the new business plan for the next five years. We have to see that the research we are doing is correctly focused. Apart from our own RTI (Research and Technology Innovation) blueprint, a big role player is the United Nations-driven sustainable development goals initiative. They recognise 17 goals that’s important for sustainability. We are aligning our research to these goals,” she said.

“I feel strongly that our research should be research that can be applied and not just research for the sake of doing research. Our communities have to benefit and that is our biggest driving force.”

The institute has six NRF-rated scientists, two of whom are B1 rated, and is encouraging all its researchers to obtain their rating, ensuring that postgraduate students have access to the best in the field.

“Our research output has also been very good over the past four years. We’ve had an average of about 20 journal articles per annum while conference attendance averaged about 15 national and 15 international conferences. We are always striving for a good balance, 1:1:1 between conferences and publications. We’ve grown international collaborations significantly, including with institutions in Hungary, France and Germany and the USA while we have established good relationships with local industry.”

For more on the IBMB go to http://www.cput.ac.za/research-technology-and-innovation/centres/ibmb

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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An article by two CPUT researchers has focused attention on the supportive role South Africa’s indigenous herbal tea, Rooibos, could play during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The article by Dr Naeem Sheik Abdul and Prof Jeanine Marnewick from the Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute has been published in the Journal of Functional Foods.

It outlines “how Rooibos can potentially play a supportive role by modulating the risk of some of the comorbidities associated with COVID-19 in order to promote general health during infections”.

Sheik Abdul and Marnewick analysed peer-reviewed scientific studies published on Rooibos stemming from all over the world during the past 20 years and found several bioactivities being reported on, some perhaps also pertinent to the current pandemic.

“The bio-activities reported on include the antioxidant capacity of rooibos stemming from its composition of unique polyphenols and other bio-active compounds, it also reported on the anti-inflammatory properties, as well as the beneficial effect on blood glucose levels, aberrant cholesterol profiles, reshaping the gut microflora, decreasing oxidative stress and increasing the body’s own antioxidant molecule, glutathione, all aspects that have been identified as being affected in one way or another by the SARS-COV-2 virus and/or disease,” the two scientists explained.

They added that scientists from the Durban University of Technology have done computer simulation and cell culture studies and suggested the use of rooibos compounds as a promising platform for developing anti-viral drug(s) in the future.

“When considering all these Rooibos bio-activities reported on, it can be put to good use as a supportive dietary mechanism to assist our bodies to strengthen our antioxidant defences and ensuring a redox balance is maintained within our bodies. By modulating certain risks, it is proposed to promote general health.”

The scientists pointed out that Rooibos is not a substitute for any clinical treatment, but rather falls within the realm of a Functional Food, a term first coined by the Japanese in the 1980s, being a food or beverage with additional function than originally proposed.

“The next step will be to put Rooibos to the test and confirm these bio-activities within the context of the current pandemic.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Two young investigators from the Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI) did CPUT proud at the 1st Joint Conference of the Pan African Environmental Mutagen and Genomics Society and the Society for Free Radical Research – Africa.

PhD candidate Oiva Kamati was the winner of the Young Investigators Award: best e-poster for his poster titled: Effect of dietary rooibos on exercise-induced oxidative stress, performance and recovery.

Transdisciplinary postdoctoral fellow, Dr Donné Minné, was the winner of the best short oral presentation category by a young investigator for her talk titled: Long term implications of COVID-19 for dementia risk: in the context of early life stress - a proposal.

The online conference was held recently and AMHBI Director, Prof Jeanine Marnewick, said each category was judged by conference session chairs from Egypt, Mauritius and/or South Africa.

Kamati said his winning poster describes the research project he completed to address the question of whether Rooibos has a role to play as possible ergogenic aid?

“The study entailed a randomised, single-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover human intervention trial, where participants consumed a standardised rooibos beverage and snack before completing a set of exercises,” he explained.

“Blood samples were collected at various time points during this process to assess the potential protective and modulatory effects of rooibos on the exercise-induced oxidative stress, with an additional aim to also assess if rooibos may improve exercise performance and/or recovery after completion of the exercise regime.”

He said he was surprised when his poster was announced as the winner as it was his first time participating in an international conference.

“It really has motivated me and confirmed that the extra work and effort I had put into designing and making this poster paid off at the end of the day. This was the first-ever poster I made, and I used all resources at my disposal as well as YouTube to learn about scientific poster making and how to successfully convey my scientific message to the reader.”

Minné said her talk aimed to introduce one of their research proposals regarding the long-term implications of Covid-19 for dementia risk in the context of early life stress. 

She said the Covid-19 pandemic has several important implications for the field of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). 

“Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia in old age and it is linked to an accumulation of amyloid plaques and tangles of a protein called tau within the brain. There is still no cure and although its causes are exceedingly complex, the past few decades of research have really spotlighted the role of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress,” she explained.

“Particularly pertinent to South Africa is that numerous findings suggest that early-life adversity constitutes a critical underlying mechanism through which cells in the brain alter the sensitivity of the inflammatory response that goes on to influence later-life risk for developing the disease.”

 She said this means that the heightened, sustained inflammatory responses linked to COVID-19, the so-called cytokine storm, which activate neutrophils and mononuclear phagocyte system cells to produce high volumes of oxidative stress, are primed to potentially exacerbate AD risk and possibly accelerate disease progression in the elderly. 

“Any investigation into this topic will necessarily have to be an interdisciplinary initiative, and our hopes are therefore to capitalise on our lab's existing trans-disciplinary approach to understanding disease mechanisms in dementia. Our aims are therefore to adopt a mixed-methodology design in trying to assess whether a history of Covid-19 illness and early-life stress interact to increase the risk profile for Alzheimer's Disease.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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