Enterprises University of Pretoria (Enterprises UP) and University of Pretoria (UP) penned a significant research and development (R and D) contract with M2Bio Sciences. The four-year research programme headed by Prof Vinesh Maharaj’s Biodiscovery Centre will focus a product development and/or enhancements for natural compound derivatives. The Biodiscovery Centre is actively involved in R and D where natural products and uniquely derived compounds are used for application in pharmaceuticals, herbal medicines, cosmetics and veterinary products. The research programme will focus on four individual research streams and will comprise of a trans-disciplinary approach including experts from Plant and Soil Sciences, Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology; Pharmacology, Consumer and Food Science, Animal Science, Veterinary Sciences (Paraclinical Department) and Chemistry.
Jeff Robinson, CEO and Chairman of M2Bio Sciences underpinned the importance of investing in this research programme. “Every product that we bring to market has to have research behind it. It is not just about releasing a product to market and saying ‘this is good for you; trust us,’ it is about the credibility behind it so that you feel secure about what you are ingesting.”
Prof Barend Erasmus, the Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, said their objective was on moving beyond individual transactions to bringing teams together for a collective outcome. “We are reimagining what a university should be doing in society and it is about bringing teams of people together. We need to be agile with these teams as the problems change for several reasons. Projects like these, partnering with Enterprises UP, makes sense since they have that agility and they have the proven ability.”
CEO of Enterprises UP, Dr Elmar de Wet, expressed Enterprises UP’s appreciation towards M2Bio and highlighted the enabling role that Enterprises UP plays within the applied research domain. “The world and our country have challenges and problems, and our scientists, in partnership with industry experts can facilitate the solutions needed to make a difference.”
This partnership is a testament to Enterprises UP’s commitment to spearheading industry-related research and development and delivering solutions that move society forward.
