Page 78 - University of Pretoria Research Review 2017
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New possibilities in genomic medicine and cellular therapies
Michael Pepper, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine
The University of Pretoria, being located in sub- Saharan Africa, is ideally placed to undertake high- impact biomedical research as a result of the unique genetic diversity of our populations together with the high disease burden in our region.
These combined factors − genetic diversity and a high disease burden − create the opportunity to address some of the most important health issues on the sub-continent. The high disease burden includes both communicable (HIV, TB, malaria) and non-communicable (cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes) diseases, as well as factors that contribute to high infant and maternal mortality rates. Many of the potential solutions arising from
this research can be applied in other parts of the world, both in lower-to-middle and high-income countries.
The Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine (ICMM), directed by Professor Michael Pepper in the Department of Immunology, focuses on four thematic areas: the human genome, cell-based therapies, infectious diseases, and the neurosciences. The Institute includes the South African Medical Research Council’s Extramural Unit for Stem Cell Research and Therapy.
The human genome contains a wealth of information that can now be easily accessed due to rapid advances in sequencing technology and analytical tools. While everyone’s DNA is highly similar, the differences in our genome give rise to unique individual traits that may predict whether we are predisposed to a particular disorder or disease. In some cases, genetically linked disorders, such as cancer, may present in specific cells or tissues at different times for different individuals, and understanding the genetic changes that occur
in the cancer may facilitate accurate diagnosis and planning of treatment. Precision medicine based on
cell-based therapies, which use gene-engineered cells
in the immune system, are now able to specifically target and destroy blood cancers such as leukemias and lymphomas.
Recently, a team of South African researchers, including Professor Pepper at the ICMM, confirmed the high
level of genetic diversity in South Africans. Their study analysed the whole genomes of 24 South Africans. The study generated large datasets, which were stored at three institutions. The twenty-author manuscript was exclusively authored by South African researchers, and is the first research on African genomes to be funded by an African government (the Department of Science and Technology, South Africa)*.
With South Africa’s high burden of HIV and related illnesses, gene therapy aimed at rendering the immune system resistant to HIV would clearly be of benefit. Researchers at the ICMM are using patented