Formerly supported chemistry groups in Tanzania and Zimbabwe
Tanzania
IPICS TAN01 - Nutritional biochemistry and biotechnology
ISP supported the research group at the government institution Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre, Tanzania, between 1981 and 2005.
The group focused on how to improve food quality, especially the availability of iron, provitamin A carotenoids and protein, and food safety through the use of traditional food processing techniques.
The group was supported by ISP for a long time but could not build up the intended MSc and PhD programmes as planned, because of the lack of academic affiliation. After the students attached to the group graduated (registered at Tanzanian universities), ISP support stopped.
For a follow-up study in 2016, contact could not be established neither with the former leader nor the members of the previously ISP-supported activities research group, and the activities since ISP support was concluded are unknown.
IPICS TAN01/3 - Analyses of aflatoxins and metabolites in food
The ISP Chemistry´s (then called The Chemistry Seminar) cooperation with Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC) was done in collaboration with a SAREC-supported project between TFNC and scientists in Sweden, with Dr Ulf Svanberg at Chalmers University of Technology, as coordinator. The SAREC-project had the title "Research on weaning food development with special reference to dietary bulk". The ISP-support was used for fellowships for visiting scientists for research work in Sweden.
The programmes were combined with studies for higher degrees: one fellow completed his PhD at Sokoine University of Agricultural Sciences, Tanzania, and three young scientists completed their MSc-degrees at Uppsala University, Sweden.
ISP-support started in 1985 and ended 1989.
IPICS TAN02 - Cassava processing with reference to cyanide toxicity
ISP supported the research group at Tanzania Food and Nutritional Centre between 1982 and 1996. Group leader was Nicholas Mlingi.
The group operated until 1993 under the acronyme IPICS TAN01/2.
IPICS TAN:02 - Environmental analytical chemistry of pollutants
ISP supported the research group at Department of Chemistry, University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Tanzania, between 2004-2008, when it was transferred to the Sida bilateral programme in Tanzania, and ISP-support was paused. ISP supported the group again between 2021-2024.
The group was a member of the IPICS-supported network ANCAP (African Network for the Chemical Analysis of Pesticides).
Objectives
The industrialisation drive in Tanzania led to rapid increase of miscellaneous industries in the country. These circumstances introduced new problems relating to chemical substances, e.g. alarmingly high levels of chemical contaminants in food.
The overall goals of the research group were to:
- To improve the conditions and techniques for carrying out research and postgraduate training in chemical analyses.
- To carry out chemical analyses of food, industrial materials, environmental samples and samples from human beings to determine the properties, compositions, distribution, effects and fates of chemical species.
- To develop techniques for removal/reduction of chemical contaminants in food and environmental samples.
- To improve production and dissemination of high-quality research results.
- To promote the use of research results and outcomes by the society/stakeholders (communities, industries, decision-makers, etc.) and for development.
More information
Between 2008 and 2022 when ISP-support was phased-out, the group received occasional support from the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Sida bilateral programme with UDSM (1996-2003 and 2009-2015) and from the home university. At that time there were PhD students in the group, mainly supported by private funding. The group had at least 5 PhD graduations and published at least 45 papers in international scientific journals.
The group didn´t consider themselves having all the facilities needed to handle in-house postgraduate training. Supervisors and management capacity are available, but important instrumentation and infrastructure are lacking or are insufficient; e.g. HPLC, LCMS-MS and ICP-MS, and most of the necessary consumables. The research laboratories are not sufficient and there is a general lack of trained experts in instrumentation.
Zimbabwe
ZIM-AiBST - Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) in the Discovery and Clinical Use of Drugs against Infectious Diseases
The research group located at the African Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology (AiBST) received ISP support between 2008 and 2020. The activities were coordinated by Professor Collen Masimirembwa. Prof Colleen is an ISP Alumnus who did his sandwich PhD at Karolinska Institutet.
Objectives
The overall objective was to use the knowledge generated on the molecular mechanism of the drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics of anti-parasitic drugs to discover new drugs, formulations and dosing regimens for the safe and efficacious treatment of infectious diseases in African populations. The proposed work will result in an anti-malarial candidate drug, a boosted regimen of the anti-schistomicide drug praziquantel, a pharmacogenetic test to guide dose adjustment in the use of the anti-retroviral drug, efavirenz, and derivation of drug-herb interaction label guides. Successful research work in these four products could have a major clinical impact in the treatment of infectious disease in Africa.
Achievements
Coming soon.
More information
Learn more about AiBST and Professor Colleen Masimirembwa.
Website: aibst.com
IPICS ZIM:03 - Environmental chemistry
This research group at Department of Chemistry, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, started to receive ISP support betwen 2020 and 2023. The group leader was Dr Paul Mushonga. The group was phased-out because of inactivity.
Objectives
The overall objective of the project was to carry out fundamental research, e.g.
- to understand the speciation, persistence and bioaccessibility of the various types of organic pollutants (pesticides, organic solvents), emerging environmental pollutants (antimicrobial agents, contraceptive hormones, ARVs, personal health care products, etc) found in soil and acquatic ecosystems in Zimbabwe
- to identify measures for reducing further pollution
- to assess the feasibility of the removal of various types of water pollutants using novel nanoparticle and biomass based adsorbents
Acheivements
None.