A Stellenbosch University (SU) professor recently won an international award in recognition of his contributions to tuberculosis (TB) research.
Pictured is Prof Novel Chegou, a professor in immunology at Stellenbosch University. “I am passionate about the work that I do. We are all trying to assist in contributing to solutions that may help in ending TB one day,” said Chegou. PHOTO: Sourced/Stellenbosch University
Prof Novel Chegou, a professor in immunology at SU, won the Royal Society Africa Prize on 24 August, an award which recognises African excellence in science. This is according to Prof Elmi Muller, the dean of SU’s medicine and health sciences faculty, via email correspondence with MatieMedia.
The winner receives a medal, a £2 000 cash prize and a research grant of up to £15 000, said Bryony Ravate, the assistant press officer of the Royal Society, which is based in London.
“[The faculty of medicine and health sciences] recognises all the hard work and ingenuity of professor Novel Chegou, who has worked for well over a decade to [find] practical solutions to one of South Africa’s most pressing healthcare problems, tuberculosis,” said Muller.
Finding new tools against TB
Chegou’s research is focused on discovering biomarkers for TB. This involves probing different biological fluids collected from individuals suspected of having TB, which may help distinguish people who have TB from those who present symptoms but are infected with other TB-like diseases, explained Chegou.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, said Prof Novel Chegou. This disease is primarily spread from person to person through droplets that are released into the air when someone who has an active TB disease coughs or sneezes, explained Chegou. GRAPHIC: Andrea de Lilly
“[My team and I] focus on [TB] because there is an urgent need for new tools to control the spread of the disease – tools that will be easier to use in Africa,” he said.
South Africa has a high rate of TB infections, said Chegou. It is one of the top 10 countries with the highest TB burdens in the world, he added. “It is often said that TB is a result of the poor.”
Factors like poor living conditions, including overcrowding in households and other poor socio-economic conditions, contribute to the spread of the disease, he added. “Hence, the disease is more frequent in poor communities.”
A royal recognition
“Prof Chegou winning the Royal Society Africa Prize is well-deserved. It is a result of hard work and commitment put in to advance science and contribute to healthcare,” said Bih Chendi, one of Chegou’s doctoral candidates.
“I have been working on Tuberculosis [TB] since I began studying for my honours degree in 2005,” said Prof Novel Chegou. His research is focused on discovering biomarkers for TB, Chegou explained. The limitations of previous tests inspired him and his team to focus on the development of tools that will be easier to use in Africa and that would be suitable for the diagnosis of active TB, added Chegou. PHOTO: Andrea de Lilly
“Without the hard work that is being put in by every member of my research team and our collaborators, awards such as this would not be possible,” said Chegou.
“We are hoping that we could one day contribute to the eradication of this ancient but very terrible disease through the development of tools that would enable healthcare practitioners to better manage the disease,” said Chegou.