Browsing Department of Biotechnology by Title
Now showing items 83-102 of 362
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Development of a receptor targeted nanotherapy using a proapoptotic peptide
(University of the Western Cape, 2015)The prevalence of obesity amongst South Africans is alarming, with more than 29% of men and 56% of women considered to be obese. Angiogenesis, a process for development of new blood vessels play a major role in growth and ... -
Development of a reporter system for the analysis of xylophilus ampelinus type III secreted effectors
(University of the Western Cape, 2014)Xylophilus ampelinus, the causal agent of bacterial blight and canker of grapevines, has long been a threat to the table grape industry in the Western Cape, leading to severe economic losses due to the reduced productivity ... -
Development of an actinobacteria based in vitro transcription and translation systems
(University of the Western Cape, 2015)Heterologous metagenomic screening strategies have relied largely on the construction of DNA libraries and screening in Escherichia coli to access novel enzymes. There is an increased demand for the identification of novel ... -
Development of an aptamer based lateral flow test strip for a diabetes biomarker
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)Diabetes mellitus is one of the major chronic diseases that poses a significant risk to human health globally. Current diagnostics for diabetes are based on blood glucose measurements, which can go unnoticed for years. ... -
The development of functionalized metallic nanoparticles for the treatment of brain cancer
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)Cancers of the nervous system often result from abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells in nervous tissue. Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) and neuroblastoma (NB) are among the most common nervous system-associated cancers ... -
Development of genotyping systems for pharmacogenomics profiling
(University of the Western Cape, 2016)Genetic variability in genes encoding drug metabolizing enzymes, transporters and targets are known to be the main factors of inter-individual differences in therapeutic outcome. Genetic factors are estimated to be responsible ... -
Development of microsatellite (SSR) marker multiplexes for future construction of a genetic linkage map for pear (Pyrus communis L.)
(University of the Western Cape, 2012)Recent advances in the field of plant genetics and application of molecular technologies has lead to greater understanding of various crop genomes and their organization.The applications of these techniques include molecular ... -
The development of nanotechnology-based detection systems for the diagnosis of breast cancer
(University of the Western Cape, 2015)Breast cancer is one of the major causes of death in South Africa. About 1 in 29 South African women are at risk of developing this type of cancer in their lifetime. The global incidence of breast cancer also increases ... -
Development of nanotechnology-based drug delivery and imaging system to the white adipose tissue vasculature using Wistar Rat Model
(University of the Western Cape, 2013)Obesity is a complex metabolic disease of excessive fat accumulation. It is a worldwide epidemic affecting billions of people and its pharmacological management is hampered by drug toxicity and undesirable side effects. ... -
Development of nanotechnology-based therapeutic approaches to treat HIV
(University of the Western Cape, 2012)The rapidly expanding field of nanotechnology has been the focus of many biologists with regard to drug delivery. The ability of nanoparticles to enter cellular compartments makes it possible to explore specific treatment ... -
Development of Y-STR genotyping systems suitable for sexual assault cases in South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2010)Sexual assault is a significant problem facing the South African society. In this context, efficient but also affordable genotyping systems are needed for positive identification of criminals in incidences of sexual violence. ... -
Differences in visual attention processing: An event-related potential comparative analysis within psychotic disorders
(University of the Western Cape, 2018)Introduction: Sustained attention is known to be dysfunctional in psychotic disorders. Sustained attention is the ability to remain focused on a specific time-locked stimulus within a task. We aimed to determine whether ... -
Differences in visual attention processing: An event-related potential comparative analysis within psychotic disorders
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)INTRODUCTION: Sustained attention is known to be dysfunctional in psychotic disorders. Sustained attention is the ability to remain focused on a specific time-locked stimulus within a task. We aimed to determine whether ... -
Discovery of biomolecules from South African marine sponge symbionts through Metagenomic studies
(University of the Western Cape, 2018)Marine sponges are known to harbour diverse microorganisms which have been proposed to be involved in the synthesis of most of the natural compounds derived from sponges. However, only about 1% of these microorganisms can ... -
Discriminative eradication of cancer cells using quantum dots functionalised with peptide-directed delivery of a pro-apoptotic peptide
(2013)The therapeutic goal of cancer treatment is to trigger selective cell death in cancer cells. To eliminate cancerous cells effectively, the anti–cancer drugs must be targeted to the affected cells. However, anti–cancer drugs ... -
Diversity of Frankia associated with Morella species of the Cape floristic region of Southern Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2016)Frankia is one of two partners in the globally distributed N2-fixing actinorhizal symbiosis between this filamentous soil-dwelling actinomycete and almost 300 species of host plants from eight diverse angiosperm families. ... -
The diversity of key anabolic genes in antarctic hypolithons
(2009)Antarctica is known for its pristine environments. A variety of unsuitable environmental conditions were once thought to render the continent unsuitable for sustaining life. However, metagenomic data have revealed a wealth ... -
DNA metabarcoding for the identification of species within vegetarian food samples
(University of the Western Cape, 2021)Aims DNA metabarcoding has recently emerged as a valuable supplementary tool to ensure food authenticity within the global food market. However, it is widely known that highly processed food samples are one of DNA ... -
Domestic greywater systems: a potential reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes transfer
(University of the Western Cape, 2024)During the Western Cape drought from 2015 to 2018, the use of greywater to alleviate pressure on the limited potable water available in the province was encouraged. Greywater, however, has the potential to harbour residual ... -
A dual analysis of the South African Griqua population using ancestry informative mitochondrial DNA and discriminatory short tandem repeats on the Y chromosome
(University of the Western Cape, 2015)The primary objective of this Masters project was to investigate the maternal ancient substructure of the Griqua population in South Africa. Genetic ancestry was determined by investigating ancestry informative single ...