Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
07 January 2018
Photo Charl Devenish
Dr Anneke van der Spoel van Dijk is invested in contributing
to the global effort of stopping TB by 2035.
The work of Dr Anneke van der Spoel van Dijk investigates the spread of TB in the Free State population using techniques such as next generation sequencing, spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTR typing. Dr Van der Spoel van Dijk, a senior medical scientist in the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of the Free State (UFS) also looks at drug resistance in her research. This work informs decisions about how best to treat patients with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).
She employs rapid molecular techniques to track one of Africa’s most serious diseases, tuberculosis (TB).
Drug resistance
Scientists assist the National Health Laboratory Service and Department of Health in trying to refine the diagnostic tools to identify these cases earlier. Dr Van der Spoel van Dijk explains: “Until recently, it took up to two years to fine-tune treatment decisions for patients with MDR-TB. Patients get a cocktail of anti-TB drugs, but it takes time to find the right combination. Re-infection and relapse (patients stopping treatment for several reasons) add to the diagnostic and treatment management challenges.
Enormous impact
“Now doctors can reduce the time needed for diagnostic certainty to about seven days, while new drugs allow reduction of treatment from more than 18 to nine months. This can have an enormous impact on the life of many patients.”
Dr Van der Spoel van Dijk’s work forms part of research in the faculty looking at resistance development in TB strains. She is currently also doing her doctoral thesis on the differences and incidence of MDR-TB among adolescents versus adults. Dr Van der Spoel van Dijk says: “It is a complicated picture, but we hope to unravel it to support better diagnostic tools and patient care.”
As part of the National Health Laboratory Service, her department is playing an important role in TB diagnostics and the training of scientists and future pathologists. “Our work is contributing to the global vision to stop TB by 2035,” Dr Van der Spoel van Dijk says.
Successful Physical Science Convention presented at Kovsies
2010-08-27
 |
The recent Physical Science Convention was attended by 109 Free State learners. Here they participate in one of many Physics and Chemistry activities.
Photo: Supplied |
The Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS) presented the Physical Sciences Convention. This convention, which is presented by another university every year, was attended by 109 Grade 11 and Grade 12 learners and 29 teachers from across the Free State.
Learners were invited to attend the convention on the grounds of their achievements in the annual Science Olympiad or projects entered by them.
Amongst others, the learners were treated to a Chemagic show. They also participated in Physics and Chemistry activities.
A dinner was held during which the prizes for the best project proposals and the best achievements in the Science Olympiad were handed over. Two Deans’ bursaries were awarded to the top learners in Grade 11 and Grade 12 respectively.
The recent Physical Science Convention was attended by 109 Free State learners. Here they participate in one of many Physics and Chemistry activities.