Dr Ntokozo Dambuza

Email: Ntokoza.Dambuza@mandela.ac.za

Tel: 041 504 4846

I started in the science field as a research assistant while I was an undergraduate student at the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE) and later, after completing my MSc, I became an assistant technical officer at the Kings College Hospital in London. After returning to South Africa I joined the Malaria Research Unit of the Department of Pharmacology of the University of Cape Town as a laboratory technician at UCT, where I later I registered for a PhD. 
 
Projects that I have been involved in included immobilization host enzymes involved in the HIV replication cycle on to polystyrene 96-well plates, isolation of biologically active compounds from medicinal plants. In vitro enzymatic assays were used in high throughput screening of test samples isolated from plants and animal tissues such as ELISA and chromatographic procedures to isolate compounds form plants and animal tissues such as TLC, affinity, column and ion exchange chromatography. 
 
I developed laboratory skills such as standard biochemical techniques, operating analytical instruments such as HPLC, FPLC, fluorometer, SDS PAGE, pH meter, ELISA plate reader and spectrophotometry, sterile techniques from in vitro studies namely cell culture and DNA studies, microbiology techniques such as isolation and identification of bacteria and fungi. 
 
My PhD project introduced me to in vivo efficacy and pharmacokinetic studies using a mouse model while evaluating new chemical entities for antimalarial activity.
 
Qualifications
 
PhD Medicine (Clinical Pharmacology); UCT | MSc Biochemistry; NMMU | BSc Hons Biochemistry; UPE | BSc Biochemistry and Microbiology; UPE
 
Research Expertise
 
Scientific Domain: Natural Sciences 
Research Field: Pre-clinical biological testing of drugs and extracts from natural sources 
Subjects: Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular and Cell Biology  
Field of Specialization: In vitro mechanism of action studies, cell viability studies, cell toxicity, apoptosis, enzymatic assays, aseptic tissue culturing techniques (Biohazard Class II Laboratory), drug-interaction and metabolism studies, in vivo efficacy and pharmacokinetic studies, cell permeability studies, microbiological and cellular molecular studies, medicinal plants (extraction and bioassay-guided fractionation using chromatographic techniques 
Research Outputs 
 
List of publications and conference presentations 
 
Book Chapter: 
  • Herbal Medicine: Drug Discovery from Herbs – Approaches and Applications 
  • The Need for An Integrated, Multi-Target In Vitro Antidiabetic Screening Platform 
All Authors in Order Appearing on Output Maryna van de Venter, Gerhardt J Boukes, Luanne Venables, Ntokozo S Dambuza, Trevor C Koekemoer 
 
Editor NAM S&T Centre 
 
Publisher Centre for Science & Technology of the Non-aligned and Other Developing Countries 
 
Publications: 
 
1. van de Venter, Maryna, Jenske Didloff, Shanika Reddy, Bresler Swanepoel, Sharlene Govender, Ntokozo Shirley Dambuza, Saralene Williams, Trevor Craig Koekemoer, and Luanne Venables. "Wild-Type Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Larvae as a Vertebrate Model for Diabetes and Comorbidities: A Review." Animals 11, no. 1 (2021): 54. 
 
2. Dambuza, Ntokozo S., Peter Smith, Alicia Evans, Jennifer Norman, Dale Taylor, Andrew Andayi, Timothy Egan, Kelly Chibale, and Lubbe Wiesner. "Antiplasmodial activity, in vivo pharmacokinetics and anti-malarial efficacy evaluation of hydroxypyridinone hybrids in a mouse model." Malaria journal 14, no. 1 (2015): 505. 
 
3. Dambuza, Ntokozo, Peter Smith, Alicia Evans, Dale Taylor, Kelly Chibale, and Lubbe Wiesner. "A Pharmacokinetic Study of Antimalarial 3, 5-Diaryl-2-aminopyridine Derivatives." Malaria research and treatment 2015 (2015). 
 
4. Abay, Efrem T., Jan H. van der Westhuizen, Kenneth J. Swart, Liezl Gibhard, Nina Lawrence, Ntokozo Dambuza, Anke Wilhelm, Kendrekar Pravin, and Lubbe Wiesner. "Efficacy and pharmacokinetic evaluation of a novel anti-malarial compound (NP046) in a mouse model." Malaria journal 14, no. 1 (2015): 1-7. 
 
To be submitted: 
 
Ntokozo Dambuza, Maryna Van De Venter, Trevor Koekemoer; 2020; In vitro Bioavailability Assessment of Rooibos Extract Antioxidants 
 
Conference Proceedings: 
 
Ntokozo Dambuza, Maryna Van De Venter, Trevor Koekemoer; 2016; Rooibos Extract Antioxidants: In vitro Models to Assess Their Bioavailability; ICMPNP 2016: 18th International Conference on Medicinal Plants and Natural Products; San Francisco USA Jun 09-10, 2016, 18 (6) Part IX 
 
Conference Attendance: 
 
Dambuza N S, van de Venter M and Koekemoer T, (29 June – 2 July 2015), Rooibos extract antioxidants: in vitro models to assess their bioavailability, Poster Presentation at the Indigenous Plant Use Forum-Society for Economic Botany Conference,  2015, Clanwilliam, Western Cape 
 
Dambuza N S, van de Venter M, Joubert E and Koekemoer T, (30 June – 3 July 2014), In vitro assessment of the bioavailability of rooibos antioxidants, Oral Presentation at the Indigenous Plant Use Forum, 17th Annual Conference 2014, University of Orange Free State, Qwaqwa Campus, Phuthaditjhaba, North West Province 
 
Dambuza N S, Smith P J, Chibale K and Wiesner L, Antimalarial Activity and Pharmacokinetic Properties of New Chemical Entities:  
1. (13-18 July 2014), presented at the 17th World Congress of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (WCP2014), Cape Town  
 
2. (10-15 February 2013), presented at the 2013  Gordon Conference on Tropical Infectious Diseases: From bench to field, Galveston, Texas 
 
3. (29-30 January 2013), presented at CIDRI and Welcome Trust Fellows Symposium, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 
 
4. (12-14 March 2011), presented at CIDRI and Imperial College Welcome Center Annual Scientific Meeting, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 
 
5.  (18 October 2010), presented at CIDRI and Welcome Trust Fellows Meeting, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 
 
Dambuza, N S, Siepe S,  Moyon A, Stalder-Freuler B and Meyer C, Compatibility Studies of Antimalarial Compound GNF156 and Different Excipients, 
1. Novartis Research Day (9 November 2011): Poster presentation at the University of the Western Cape on my Novartis project 
 
2. Novartis Research Day (29 October 2012): Poster presentation at the University of Kwazulu-Natal on my Novartis project and PhD project 
 
3. Novartis Research Day, (28-29 September 2011); Poster presentation at Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland 
 
Dambuza N S, Oosthuizen V and van de Venter M, (2-5 July 2006), Isolation of Bioactive Metabolites with Activity against HIV-1 Target Proteins from Extracts of Sutherlandia frutescens and Lobostemon trigonus: Oral presentation at the SASBMB 20th Annual Meeting in Pietermaritzburg  University of KwaZulu-Natal  
 
Collaborations  
 
The Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research Group (MNRG) from the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at the Nelson Mandela University 
 
Drug Discovery and Development Center (H3D) from the University of Cape Town
 
The Department of Organic Chemistry of the Nelson Mandela University 
 
The Department of Medical Biochemistry of the Nelson Mandela University 
 
Research Pages