Indigenous Knowledge for the Bioeconomy

The Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology Laboratory (IMBL) at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg has published a new paper on the poisonous plant “gifblaar” in #scientificreports. The plant is a major cause of life stock poisoning in South Africa and neighboring countries. We present deep insights into its stress response and several new leads for gifblaar #biocontrol. There is also evidence for new enzymes from this plant, which can be used in for the synthesis of anti-cancer drugs. This project was made possible by a #team of scientists from complementary backgrounds, Dr Selisha Ann Sooklal, Dr Phelelani Mpangase, Dr Shaun Aron, Dr Silviu Tomescu, Prof Scott Hazelhurst and Dr Robert Archer. We will continue to strengthen the indigenous knowledge base to build the African #Bioeconomy.