Autophagy is a process in which worn out, toxic or degraded cellular components are swept up and recycled to maintain a healthy living cell. When this process is disrupted or disfunctions, it can lead to diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and heart disease.

Microclimates – as opposed to large-scale regional or even global scale macroclimate models – may hold the key to offsetting the negative impacts of extreme weather events on already vulnerable insect populations.

After six years of intensive research and testing, the Rhisotope Project has officially reached operational status – where rhinos will effectively be protected through nuclear technology.

The project aims to disrupt the illegal rhino horn trade by embedding low-level radioactive isotopes into the horn. These radioisotopes can be detected by radiation detection equipment at countries borders around the world, allowing for the effective interception of trafficked horns.

An international collaboration of conservation, environment, and human development experts and practitioners led by the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Report Office (UNDP-HDRO) proposes a new way for countries to measure and improve their relationships with nature and each other.

The newly launched South African Blood Regulatory (SABR) dataset reveals how genetic variation influences blood traits and gene activity in African populations, providing crucial insights into diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

This means researchers can now use the resource to better predict who is at risk, why specific populations respond differently to treatments, and how to develop more effective, tailored interventions.

With African populations historically underrepresented in genomic research, SABR marks a significant step toward more inclusive and more accurate precision medicine.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology, which rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, is now being repurposed by South African scientists to tackle one of the world’s oldest infectious diseases—tuberculosis.

At the Wits Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit (AGTRU), Dr Kristie Bloom leads efforts to develop a locally produced mRNA-based TB vaccine. Unlike traditional vaccines, which rely on weakened viruses, mRNA vaccines deliver genetic instructions that prompt the body to produce a harmless piece of the virus, training the immune system to respond.

This technology offers speed, adaptability, and potentially stronger immune responses. "We can manufacture mRNA vaccines rapidly and adjust them easily if pathogens mutate or emerge," says Bloom.

In collaboration with the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) at the University of Cape Town, AGTRU is advancing two TB vaccine candidates. These vaccines aim to trigger the T-cell responses needed to overcome Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a pathogen responsible for 56,000 deaths in South Africa in 2023 alone.

Researchers believe that a successful vaccine could prevent up to 76 million TB cases and save 8.5 million lives over 25 years. “This isn’t just about innovation—it’s about self-reliance and equity in global health,” Bloom says.