A multi-disciplinary approach to the Metabolic Syndrome in the South African population and enhanced care for the diabetic patient, are some of the main objectives of this programme.
This effort also aims to shed light on the aetiology and pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in the black population of South Africa.
To this end we have made the following unique contributions in this field:
- The genetic risk factors at specific genetic loci (CAPN10 and APM1) were described in the black South African population for the first time.
- The genetic risk factors at selected genetic loci were also described in the Cuban and German populations.
- A meta-analysis study was performed using the above listed data, and contrasting that to what has been reported in other populations to date.
Current and previous collaborators were from the following institutions:
- Prof. D.C. Wallace, Director: Centre for Molecular and Mitochondrial Medicine and Genetics, University of California at Irvine, CA, USA.
- Centre for Genome Research, North-West University.
- AUTHeR (Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Research), North-West University.
- Physiology, North-West University.
- Department of Endocrinopathies and Metabolic diseases, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany.