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Continue reading →: The connection between Malaria and Multiple Sclerosis in Sardia, Italy
By Refilwe Sekano The basis of evolutionary medicine is the interplay between health, environment, and disease. Malaria and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are examples of this interplay. Malaria is a vector-borne disease caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. Malaria exerts a strong selective pressure, which results in the enrichment of alleles…
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Continue reading →: Not all vaping is the same: differential pulmonary effects of vaping cannabidiol (CBD) versus nicotine
By Alilita Lajoboda Picture this, you are at a backyard braai. Then two of your friends show up, each carrying a different bottle of chilli sauce. One a classic store brand chilli labelled “Nicotino’s chilli sauce”, the other a homemade blend of chilli sauce made from unprocessed ingredients labelled “organic,…
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Continue reading →: Junk DNA: From Genomic Graveyard to Regulatory Gold
By Natasha Murape Of the 3 billion bases that make up the DNA content of the human genome, approximately 21,000 protein-coding genes are scattered along them. This represents only 3% of the human genome. The remaining vast stretches of repetitive DNA were previously dismissed as “junk”, evolutionary debris without a…
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Continue reading →: Reflection
By Lee Fredericks Wow, where do I even begin? This year has been a rollercoaster of emotion. By far the most intense year of studies I’ve ever experienced, but also the most insightful with regards to what life may be like from now onwards. I love that it feels more…
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Continue reading →: The “Criminal Gene”: Is there a Genetic Link to Aggression?
by Noluntu Buyana Have you ever wondered why some people seem naturally more are aggressive than others? Or how two people who are raised in similar environments have completely different reactions to stress or conflict? No?…..well I have so buckle up! Violence and aggression are complex behaviours shaped by an…
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Continue reading →: Hidden Saboteur: How Tuberculosis Outsmarts Our Immune System
by Tony Noveld In this study, researchers from the University of Cape Town, the Ragon Institute, and the Francis Crick Institute set out to answer a vital question: Why does Mycobacterium tuberculosis remain the world’s deadliest bacterial pathogen despite decades of research and treatment efforts? This 2025 review synthesizes over…
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Continue reading →: My greatest takeaway: Feedback!
By Angela Mutugi I am going to say something a little crazy but very true, so brace yourself. I only applied to one university for honours. Shocking, I know! UCT, you were my one and only… truly! It was my greatest risk, my biggest gamble, but it worked out. Yes,…
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Continue reading →: Blame it on your genes: why you may work better at night
By Angela MutugiGenetic testing is more often viewed as a device to trace your family’s ancestry to know where you came from or if you are secretly a royal, but your genes can help you understand why you’re ready to go to bed at 9 pm, why you sleep in…
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Continue reading →: The Enemy of Your Enemy is Your Friend – Using Oncolytic Viruses to Stimulate Immune-Mediated Tumour Destruction
By Mrittika Islam Cancer remains as one of the most notoriously unyielding diseases mankind has ever had to face, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2022 [1]. Its precise pathological profile is still a topic of rigorous debate; it is becoming increasingly clear that what we do not know…
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Continue reading →: EMBRACING THE NEW
By Moleboheng MoipatliNewness! I am one individual who gravitates towards change. It brims with so much hope and possibility. Change invites us into the unknown, and while it may bring some challenges, I’ve found that those challenges often become the breeding ground for growth and greatness. So, when I began…
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Continue reading →: Your scalp is a whole ecosystem!
By Moleboheng Moipatli We are all aware that a plethora of microorganisms reside in our stomachs. That is what is referred to as the gut microbiome. Well, if you are like me and you’ve never thought to question the origin of some of the skin-related disorders or diseases, then you…
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Continue reading →: A SERIES OF VERY FORTUNATE MISTAKES!
By Abi MilellaThis reflective writing piece is supposed to be on my experience in honours so far and while I will get to that, I feel it’s only right for me to explain how I got here with the hopes of offering comfort to those who still have no idea…
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Continue reading →: BUILD-A-GUT: HOW SYNTHETIC MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES ARE REDESIGNING OUR GUTS
By Abi Milella The gut microbiome was once seen as a mysterious and untouchable ecosystem but it is now being increasingly recognised as a central player in nearly all aspects of human health. It influences everything from digestion and immunity to mental well-being and chronic disease. Understanding and harnessing the…
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Continue reading →: Skin Commensal shows Therapeutic Potential for Eczema in a phase 1 Clinical Trial
by Israel Oyebade Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the United States have shown that topical treatment with a skin bacterium could offer lasting relief for patients with atopic eczema (AE). The group tested the efficacy of topical application of Roseomonas mucosa, a member of…
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Continue reading →: Finding Answers, Facing Challenges: Parents’ Experiences with Genetic Testing for DEE
By Anna Butler Parenting small children is hard enough – chickenpox, tantrums and stepping on lego in the middle of the night! Now imagine a real curveball: your child suddenly develops epileptic seizures. You’ve seen all the doctors and tried every medication, but nothing seems to work. Being in and…
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Continue reading →: Reflection: Learning to Learn
By Karabo Tisane My honours year has been a fluctuating learning curve. Just when I thought I had conquered a moment of confusion, another layer of complexity revealed itself. If this year has taught me anything, it’s that learning is rarely linear, learning is an ever-evolving process that requires humility,…
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Continue reading →: Melatonin- More than just a sleeping hormone
By Karabo Tisane Melatonin is a hormone primarily produced by the pineal gland in the brain (1). Its secretion is stimulated by darkness, and its maximal circulating peak concentration is typically observed between 2-4am. This rhythmic endogenous secretion is regulated by the suprachiasmatic nuclei which form part of the brain’s…
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Continue reading →: It took me by surprise!!
By Anela Cengani I have never thought I would do research in my entire life, until this year. From highschool to my final year of my first degree, I always thought research was demanding, thethought of having to read papers, endless writing, and studying that does not stopalways made me…
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Continue reading →: Is Major Depression a Neurologic Disorder with Psychiatric Symptoms?
By Anela Cengani Image source: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in Young Adults, Eli’s place. What is major depressive disorder (MDD)?As humans, we all have our days, the good, bad, and somewhere in between. Normally, our negative emotions pass with time. However, for those suffering from MDD, low moods linger for…
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Continue reading →: Tired, Tested, Transformed.
By Samantha Levetan I’ll be honest – at times Honours has been stressful, overwhelming and pressurising.I fought hard all year to stay focused, keep my head down and get the work done,staying level-headed while pushing off a mental breakdown. Sacrificing sleep (whichI once swore to never do), social events and…
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Continue reading →: Mesothelin shedding: How cancer cells evade targeted therapies – and how we might be able to outsmart them
By Samantha Levetan In the realm of immunotherapy, the hunt for a suitable target never wavers. Thetarget of every oncology researcher’s dreams? Differentially overexpressed oncancer cells and druggable – not such an abundant find. Enter mesothelin (MSLN), a cell-surface protein whose expression was found to beupregulated in ovarian cancers. Further…
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Continue reading →: Looking back, moving forward
By Zeeka Sellidon I am currently halfway through my honours’ degree, and I can clearly say that it was nothing short of a rollercoaster. At the beginning of the year, I was filled with so much anxiety right before enrolling and had so many unanswered questions that only experience would…
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Continue reading →: IS BEING A WOMAN IN STEM REALLY AS “GIRLBOSS” AS IT SEEMS…
By Zeeka Sellidon There have been many advances in closing the gender equity gap between women and men across many fields that have empowered women and allowed them to break barriers that have existed for many years. However, a major underrepresentation of women in STEM studies still exists today. A…
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Continue reading →: Reflection
By Buntu Mlonyeni My year as a Bioinformatics Honours student at UCT has been an incredible journey of discovery and personal growth. From the excitement of exploring cutting-edge computational biology to the satisfaction of seeing my research take shape, this experience has deepened both my technical skills and my passion…
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Continue reading →: MEDICAL IMAGE SYNTHESIS VIA CONDITIONAL GANS: APPLICATION TO SEGMENTING BRAIN TUMOURS
By Buntu Mlonyeni Imagine trying to spot a grey cat in a foggy alley… This is how challenging it gets for doctors when trying to identify brain tumour MRIs. This time though, a human life is at risk. Brain tumours aren’t uniform masses , they are complex with distinct subregions.…
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Continue reading →: A deep dive into the basics of metabolic syndrome
by Owethu Mlambo Diabetes and cancer are often seen as adult problems, but the roots of these diseases arise much earlier than anticipated. Recently a review published in Endocrine titled the Mechanisms and risk factors of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents explores the complexity of metabolic syndrome and why…
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Continue reading →: How Do I Measure Success When the Finish Line Moves with Me?
by Saba Gebreseilassie My honours year started with the amazing news that my application to the BMedSci (Hons) in Neuroscience at UCT was successful. I had received a conditional offer last year, but that was not enough for my heart to rest. With various other responses coming in asynchronously, some…
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Continue reading →: Even When Nothing’s Happening, Your Brain is Tracking Time
by Saba Gebreseilassie Why is it that your memories aren’t all jumbled up and follow a chronological pattern? If the cells that encode memories aren’t all aligned in a nice, neat row with one after the other, how could they possibly know not just what happened, but when? The answer:…
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Continue reading →: Reflection on My Honours Year (So Far)
By Tony Noveld This year has been a bit like learning to breathe underwater — familiar, yet entirely new. Coming from the relentless pace of the MBChB program into the world of honours-level research in Infectious Diseases & Immunology felt like stepping into a parallel universe where the rules weren’t…
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Continue reading →: LSD and anxiety: using drugs the correct way
By Lee Fredericks Anxiety, a feeling we all become familiar with at some point in life. Often exacerbated when life-threatening situations manifest themselves, or when needing to do a presentation. During the COVID-19 pandemic there was an estimated 27.3% prevalence of anxiety in the general population. Making it unsurprising that…
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