Systems biologist
Unravelling the secrets of
organisms causing disease
According to the latest estimates by the World Health Organisation, about 219 million malaria cases were reported in 2010.
Ninety percent of the estimated 660 000 deaths occurred in Africa, mostly among children. Internationally, researchers like
the CSIR’s Dr Dalu Mancama are doing cutting-edge research in a continuous effort to stay one step ahead of the Plasmodium
parasites, which have managed to outsmart medicine by developing resistance to existing treatment.
systems
biologist
Characteristics
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For this career you should have an
analytical mind, be willing to adapt to
a fast-changing research environment,
have perseverance and strong skills in
maths, science and statistics.
Related careers
Microbiologist, virologist, geneticist.
Dr Dalu Mancama
The latest setback in
the fight against malaria was
when the first cases of resistance
to artemisinin-combination
therapies, which was hailed as
a breakthrough treatment some
years ago, were recorded.
Mancama, who was trained
in biochemistry and genetics,
now works in a field called
systems biology, where experts
pull together a holistic picture
of interactions within biological
systems to uncover novel
methods to stop disease.
“Systems biology is an interdisciplinary field of study where
researchers focus on complex
interactions within biological
systems rather than focusing on
a part of it,” Mancama explains.
These researchers look at how
cells, organelles and molecules
interact to determine how an
organism functions and behaves.
This includes the role of genes,
enzymes and metabolites in
metabolic networks and the study
of cell signalling. Researchers do
not simply study the organism
and its parts in a laboratory. They
also use other methods, such
as computer and mathematical
modelling to propose hypotheses
about biological processes and
systems which they can then test.
According to Mancama, this makes
the CSIR the ideal place to work in
this field.
“The CSIR enables us to do such
multidisciplinary research, as we
have access to various experts,
for example in high-performance
computing, laser technology and
nanomedicine,” he says.
Mancama has his roots in
Zimbabwe and South Africa, but
completed his high school years
in Surrey in the UK.
“I found subjects such as
chemistry, biology and physical
sciences very interesting and it was
a natural progression to enrol for a
BSc followed by a BSc (Honours) at
Brunel University in London where
I majored in applied biochemistry.
One advantage was that we had to
work at research organisations for
practical experience.”
By the middle of the 1990s,
Mancama had developed a
keen interest in genetics.
“The sequencing of the human
genome was happening and I was
attracted to this up-and-coming
field which led me to complete
an MSc in human molecular
genetics at Imperial College at
the University of London.”
This was followed by a PhD in
genetics, focusing on neuroscience
and neurological disease, also in
the UK.
Dr Mancama joined the CSIR
in 2005 where he now heads
the organisation’s biomedical
technologies research group.
His research team formed a
consortium with experts at
the Universities of Pretoria
and Witwatersrand to look at
specific compounds which could
play a role in blocking malaria
transmission between mosquitoes
and humans.
“We have developed models in
vitro which allow us to rapidly
identify drugs that have the most
potential for further development.
The idea is to develop drugs
that work on different metabolic
and biological processes in the
gametocyte (when the parasite is
at its sexual reproductive stage),
to minimise the potential for future
drug resistance,” Mancama says.
– Antoinette Oosthuizen
What Dr Dalu
Mancama studied
He completed a BSc degree
and BSc (Hons) in applied
biochemistry at the Brunel
University in the UK, an
MSc in human molecular
genetics at the University
of London’s Imperial
College and a PhD in
genetics at King’s College,
also in the UK.
Where to study
While institutes such
as the Harvard Medical
School have a Department
of Systems Biology, at most
South African universities,
students will start with
a BSc course, and then
specialise when doing their
Honours, Master’s and
PhDs in various different
fields to equip them to
work as systems biologists.
Many of these courses are
offered by departments
of biochemistry. An
increasing number of
departments also offer
degrees in bioinformatics
or computational biology,
which is a critical aspect of
systems biology.
Enquiries:
Dr Dalu Mancama
[email protected]
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Using a pipette to transfer blood onto a plate.
A blood sample on a plate ready for viewing under a microscope.