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07 June 2019 | Story Eugene Seegers | Photo Barend Nagel
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Tap on the red button labelled ‘Student Login’ at the bottom of the app to log in with your UFS student credentials.

What? Your new KovsieApp is here!
How? Download this mobile app to your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Why? To access your information from the UFS website (current, registered students only ??).
It’s free! While you are connected to the on-campus Wi-Fi network.

Campus life just became a whole lot simpler. With the app, you can access personal information like study records, marks, class and exam timetables, mini fee statement, etc.

How to log in

Log in like this:

  1. Download the app, of course.
  2. Tap on the red button labelled ‘Student Login’ at the bottom of the app (see screenshot).
  3. Log in with your UFS student credentials.
  4. An OTP (one-time pin) will then be sent to the cellphone listed on your student profile. Do we have your correct number?
  5. Enjoy easy access to your personal UFS information with the KovsieApp! Unless…

… we don’t have your correct cellphone number. Please update your most recent contact number to get to your personal information in the app.

Updating your details

Please update your cellphone number by using the Student Self-service page on KovsieLife if you have trouble logging into or using the app.

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News Archive

Collaboration between UFS and Mayo Clinic to revolutionise cancer treatment
2014-06-27



Attending the lecture were, from the left: Dr Chantel Swart, Prof Lodewyk Kock, Prof Debabrata Mukhopadhyay, Prof James du Preez; back: Prof Pieter van Wyk.
Dr Swart, Profs Kock and Du Preez are from the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology. Prof Mukhopadhyay is from the Mayo Clinic (US) and Prof Van Wyk is from the Centre for Microscopy at the UFS.
Photo: Supplied
The UFS made a discovery that may have enormous implications for the treatment of diseases in humans.

Since the discovery, the UFS joined forces with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, US, in the fight against cancer.

In this collective effort, UFS researchers would be able to assist the Mayo team to:
• see how treatment in cancer patients is progressing,
• target treatments more effectively,
• reduce dosages in order to make treatment gentler on the patient,
• track the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drugs used, and
• gain an accurate view of how the cancer is being eliminated.

Prof Lodewyk Kock, Outstanding Professor at the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, and his team incidentally created a technique to use argon gas particles for the first time on biological material to slice open cells to look inside.

The team that supported Prof Kock includes Dr Chantel Swart, Khumisho Dithebe (PhD student), Prof Hendrik Swart (Department of Physics) and Prof Pieter van Wyk (Centre for Microscopy).

Prof Debabrata Mukhopadhyay from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, US, got to hear about this breakthrough at the UFS and a collaboration between the two institutions was established.

During a visit to the Bloemfontein Campus, Prof Mukhopadhyay explained novel techniques that make use of gold nanoparticles. These particles attach to chemotherapeutic drugs to selectively target cancer cells – dramatically decreasing the side effects to normal human cells.

For these new drugs (coupled to gold nanoparticles) to be accepted into clinical practice, visual and chemical proof is needed, though. This is where the technique developed by the UFS will play a vital role.

With the technique to look inside cells, the composition, location and metabolism of these drugs can be determined. This will aid in a proof of concept for the application of the nano-drugs. Furthermore, it will enable approval for use of these drugs in clinical trials and eventually could revolutionise cancer treatment as a whole.

For video lectures on the technique used, as well as its findings, follow these links:

1. http://vimeo.com/63643628 (Comic version for school kids)

2. http://vimeo.com/61521401 (Detailed version for fellow scientists)

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