Special greetings everyone!
The wise say “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. We’re always keen on adventure and broadening our horizons, so when the opportunity came, our group forged right ahead with a road trip to the University of Venda (UNIVEN). UNIVEN is located in Thohoyandou, a place often referred to as South Africa’s “Garden of Eden” with its fertile land where various exotic fruits are grown effortlessly. This trip was organized with the sole purpose of engaging and sharing knowledge with UNIVEN students in research topics concerning computational metabolomics strategies and mass spectrometry. We’re truly thankful to our host and collaborator Prof Ntakadezeni Madala. We’d also like to thank Thavhani Boutique Hotel for taking care of us throughout our stay.
On the topic of collaborations, our group was recently featured in the Research & Innovation @ UJ magazine which showcased our efforts in global collaborations through the microbeMASST project. We pride ourselves on our group’s contributions to microbeMASST, an AI-powered untargeted mass spectrometry (MS) database search tool that helps with microbial metabolite annotation. As such, the creation of this tool will aid in the improved understanding of microbes impactful applications in plant and human metabolomics. This project was headed by Pieter Dorrestein (from the University of California at San Diego), and we’re thankful for the opportunity to participate in such an endeavor. Read more about this Nature publication : microbeMASST
To close off the month of August, our group participated in the IAM Girls and Boys STEM Day at UJ’s DFC campus. Our group and some of our colleagues from the Biochemistry department introduced learners to molecular biology with their own DNA. In a more enjoyable fashion, this simple lab activity, involved learners extracting genomic DNA from their own cheek cells and watching it precipitate from solution as floating white strands. The DNA strands were then collected and transferred to a keepsake vial, a necklace that each learner took home.
And that’s a wrap from us!! As we’re approaching the end of 2024, we would like to encourage everyone to push forward and end the year with a bang. To stay updated with our science endeavors and socials, follow us on social media. We are excited to have you join us on this dynamic digital space.