Pharmacology (Indigenous Knowledge System IKS)
The Department of Pharmacology is committed to pharmacology education and research – both clinical and analytical – to promoting the rational use of drugs in humans, and protecting humans against poisonous substances through teaching, research, and service.
The department received a grant of R58 million to establish one of the most advanced Pharmacology GLP-accredited research and development laboratories in the country. Prof Motlalepula Matsabisa, Director of Pharmacology, received this DSI high-end infrastructure (HEI) grant to build a laboratory, which will be a centre of excellence for the government, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the African Union’s (AU) Commission for Social Development.
An herbal medicines production/manufacturing facility will be developed with this grant. It will also be used to pilot a health facility for traditional medicines.
IKS in the Department of Pharmacology has also been awarded (in 2021) an annual Technology and Innovation Agency Platform (TIA) grant of R17 million for the next five years. This research and teaching programme, known as African Medicines Innovations and Technologies Development (AMITD), will strive to recruit and employ the best skills throughout the research, development, and herbal-medicine manufacturing value chain.
AMITD will act as a national training and capacity development facility in drug research and development (R&D), and the formulation and production of quality, safe, effective, and well-researched medicines. The aim is to not only train students, but also technicians, researchers, and traditional health practitioners. The facility will afford postgraduate students a unique opportunity for research development and training at this innovative platform, with world-class specialised infrastructure and IKS academic leadership. Capacity development will be strengthened through postgraduate bursaries and postdoctoral funding by the UFS. The collaboration with the private sector will further afford opportunities for research capacity development through postgraduate job opportunities and internship training at collaborating industry partners.
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Contact me
Prof Motlalepula Matsabisa
Professor in the Department of Pharmacology (IKS)
T: +27 51 401 7452
E: MatsabisaMG@ufs.ac.za
Former ZADM Building, Bloemfontein Campus