The University of Cape Town’s (UCT’s) Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D) has launched a new chemistry laboratory aimed at boosting its efforts to develop life-saving medicines.   
 
“The new medicinal chemistry laboratory is expected to attract significant foreign direct investment and world-class partnerships and talent,” said H3D founder and director Professor Kelly Chibale.

H3D was recognised internationally for its ongoing critical research into finding a single-dose cure for malaria.
 
Since finding a medicine involves the integration of multiple scientific disciplines and dedicated teams with integrated skills, the new lab would be able to use all information and knowledge from various disciplines to design and synthesise molecules that overcome any hurdles to becoming medicines.
 
The open plan lab had world-class built-in safety features ensuring high safety standards. It was also equipped with state-of-the-art modern instrumentation for varied research activities.
 
Chibale said multinational pharmaceutical companies were increasingly looking towards Africa as the next growth engine.
 
“Internationally, there is a paradigm shift in the way pharmaceutical companies are operating. They are lining up to partner with top-level universities. World-class infrastructure and talent are two key ingredients for attracting pharmaceutical industry partners. In Africa, this is already starting to happen through H3D.”
 
The value of Africa’s pharmaceutical market was expected to grow by between $40-billion and $65-billion by 2020, after rising by 342.5% in the ten years to 2013, owing to Africa’s economic growth and expanding middle class.
 
“The groundbreaking work by UCT's H3D into a single-dose cure for malaria has put the centre on the global map. H3D is fast becoming a hub for research and development in Africa. It is attracting high-level scientists and partners from around the world who are helping us to train a new generation of African scientists.

“We see the new medicinal chemistry laboratory as another step in helping H3D to work on finding more effective medicines, particularly for people across Africa,” said UCT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Danie Visser.
 
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) was a key partner to the centre. 

DST deputy director-general Mmboneni Muofhe said he hoped there would be a breakthrough in a single-dose cure for malaria or in other potentially pivotal drug research the centre was involved in.
 
“In South Africa, we are home to so many people who are looking forward to new kinds of drugs.  I do believe we are going to make the breakthrough that will confirm what we’ve always believed . . . that from Africa, for Africa, for the rest of the world, we can develop something that is world-class and can benefit our people.”

Chibale said a good research infrastructure in South Africa, a supportive research environment within UCT, South African government support, as well as a network of local and international partnerships, were vital ingredients for the success of H3D.
 
Stakeholders such as the UCT Department of Chemistry, UCT Faculty of Science, UCT Department of Alumni and Development, Novartis Research Foundation, in Switzerland, the Wolfson Foundation, in the UK, and the Garfield Weston Foundation, in the UK, had made it possible to have the laboratory infrastructure available.