Department of Biotechnology: Recent submissions
Now showing items 101-120 of 362
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MicroRNAs as predictive biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer using in silico approaches
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)Colorectal cancer (CRC) is referred to as cancers that arise in the colon or rectum. Rectal cancer is most often defined as cancers originating within 15 cm from the anal verge. The crude incidence of CRC in sub-Sahara ... -
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 antimicrobial activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized with plant extracts against Staphylococcus aureus
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)Nanoparticles using a green synthesis production method is of increasing interest for biomedical applications. Zinc oxide is currently used in medicinal and cosmetic formulations, and zinc oxide nanoparticles have potential ... -
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 ... -
The detection of meningococcal disease through identification of antimicrobial peptides using an in silico model creation
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)Neisseria meningitidis (the meningococcus), the causative agent of meningococcal disease (MD) was identified in 1887 and despite effective antibiotics and partially effective vaccines, Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis) ... -
Analysis, expression profiling and characterization of hsa-miR-5698 target genes as putative dynamic network biomarkers for prostate cancer: a combined in silico and molecular approach
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)2018, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimated that prostate cancer (PCa) was the second leading cause of death in males worldwide. The number of deaths are expected to raise by 50 % in the next ... -
Green synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles from South African plants and their biological evaluations
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)The field of nanotechnology continues to offer solutions for biotechnologists whose target is to improve the quality of life by finding new therapies to combat diseases. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been showing great ... -
Bioactivity and genome guided isolation of a novel antimicrobial protein from Thalassomonas viridans
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)The continued emergence of bacterial resistance to the antibiotics currently employed to treat several diseases has added to the urgency to discover and develop novel antibiotics. It is well established that natural products ... -
Novel gold nanoparticles of drought tolerance enabler GYY4137
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)Different nanoparticles have the ability to improve plant tolerance to drought stress. In the study we report for the first time novel morpholin-4-ium 4-methoxyphenyl (morpholino) phosphinodithioate capped- gold nanoparticles ... -
Aptamer selection against GFRa1 for its application in the prognosis of breast cancer
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)Breast cancer is the second most common cancer amongst South African women. Despite ongoing efforts to combat breast cancer, current prognostic and/or therapeutic monitoring methods are limited since very little improvement, ... -
Evaluation of cytotoxic activity of gold nanoparticles naturally synthesised from South African indigenous medicinal plant extracts
(University of the Western Cape, 2018)Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising field in the quest to address health conditions. Green nanotechnology is a fairly new branch of nanotechnology, which aims to produce and utilize nanomaterials in a way that is ... -
Synthesis of silver doped titanium dioxide nanocomposites using tea extract from Aspalathus linearis and evaluation of their antibacterial effects.
(University of the Western Cape, 2018)Despite the wide success of antimicrobial agents against waterborne pathogens, waterborne disease continues to pose a threat to both mankind and animals. A major concern is that certain bacteria have developed resistance ... -
The identification of aptamers against serum biomarkers of human tuberculosis
(University of the Western Cape, 2018)Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health problem and rated as the second leading cause of death after HIV/AIDS. Transmission of TB from one person to the next is very rapid in crowded communities. Therefore, it is crucial to ... -
The effect of blocking selected endocytic mechanisms on heterologous protein secretion in the yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae
(University of the Western Cape, 2018)The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is considered a good host used for heterologous protein production due to the organism’s microbial safety, rapid growth and eukaryotic post- translational processing. As a fermentative ... -
Peptide functionalised gold nanorods for the selective eradication of target cells using photothermal therapy
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)Cancer is one of the leading causes of death, worldwide. Mortality tolls are estimated to reach approximately 13.1 million in 2030. These statistics suggest that current therapeutic strategies are not effective. This is ... -
Involvement of abscisic acid and H2O2 in antioxidant enzyme activities mediated by nitric oxide synthase-like activity in maize
(University of the Western Cape, 2018)In recent years, nitric oxide (NO) has emerged as an important endogenous plant signalling molecule that mediates many developmental and physiological processes. NO regulates the activity of antioxidant enzymes in response ... -
Comparative molecular, physiological and proteomic analyses of maize and sorghum subjected to water deficit stress
(University of the Western Cape, 2019)Drought is a major abiotic stress which causes not only differences between the mean yield and the potential yield but also yield variation from year to year. Although selection for genotypes with improved productivity ... -
3,3'-diindolylmethane improves drought tolerance of Zea mays through enhancing antioxidant activity
(University of the Western Cape, 2018)Maize is one of the most abundantly produced cereals and contributes to about 40% of the global cereal production. This figure will have to increase in order to feed the ever-growing human population. One of the major ... -
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 ... -
The in vitro detection and measurement of the unfolded protein response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
(University of the Western Cape, 2018)Bioethanol is currently the most widely used biofuel and can be used as a direct replacement for current fossil fuel based transportation fuels. Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP), in which bioethanol is produced in a single ...