Heavily driven by the depths of insight uncovered by the digital/biological revolution, medical biotechnology and immunotherapy are examples of fast moving fields which are changing the global health landscape. The former topic focuses on developing technological applications, tools and processes utilising living organisms and biological systems. The latter exploits medical biotechnology to realise century old ideas of preferentially utilising and modifying the body’s own highly evolved defence system. The dual challenges of current infectious disease and future impending non-communicable disease burdens suggests that medical technology access for Africa should be a global priority for the next decade. Following 20 years of internationally recognised work in the fields of Medical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy in Germany, South Africa recruited Prof Stefan Barth to lead a Tier 1 South African Resarch Chair as part of a strategic initiative to establish these topics in the region. Diverse awards that have made expansion of the research and academic programmes possible include; the DST MRC-SHIP on precision medicine, 1st Prize in Boehringer-Ingelheim Innocentive challenge for asthma, CANSA grant on basal cell carcinoma and the NRF photodynamic therapy grant. Following further expansion in 2017 which lead to the creation of a team of 23 scientists, postgraduate, and undergraduate students, the Medical Biotechnology and Immunotherapy Research Unit (MB&I) was launched in 2017 with a 5 year recognized accreditation awarded in 2018. The unit has become known for the cross-disciplinary nature of their work which encompasses sciences other than biology to supplement immunodiagnostic and therapeutic development. The Research Unit now has active collaboration projects in 16 countries and several disease areas including cancer, chronic inflammatory diseases, allergy, and infectious diseases.
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Today we proudly announce the Globalink Research Award from MITACS / NRF for research projects in Canada in collaboration between the University of British Columbia and UCT for the following MB&I PhD students: Masala Mugeri Ursula-Claire Andong Koung Edzizi