Speakers and attendees of the VW Summer School 2023 at the Future Africa Campus of the University of Pretoria, South Africa (May 15-19th 2023)
Namrita Lalla, Anna-Mari Koka, Günter Vollmerb, Rochelle de Kocka and Bianca Diedericksa
a Medicinal Plant Sciences, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences; University of Pretoria, Pretoria South Africa
b University of Dresden; Germany
Professor Namrita Lall recently hosted the Volkswagen (VW) Summer school in collaboration with Dr. Cica Vissiennon from the University of Leipzig, Germany. The VW Summer School took place from 15 to 19 May 2023 at the University of Pretoria, Future Africa Campus, in association with the Volkswagen Stiftung (Germany) and the International Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Products research. The theme of the summer school was “Ethnopharmacological relevance: from bench to shelf, including intellectual property and bioprospecting acts”.
In total, 114 researchers responded to the call of participation by the organizers. A total of 24 scholars were selected (MSc, PhD, and postdoctoral fellows) of which 18 hailed from African countries and 6 from European countries. Nineteen speakers from various countries including South Africa (Prof Namrita Lall, Dr. Anna-Mari Kok , Dr. Marco De Canha, TDr Ephraim Cebisa Mabena, Prof Lyndy McGaw, Dr. Danielle Twilley, Portia Hlako, Bianca Payne, and Dr. Judey Pretorius), Uganda (Dr. Godwin Anywar), Ghana (Prof Emelia Oppong Bekoe), Switzerland (Prof Emerson Queiroz), Germany (Jazmin Ponce Gomez and Prof Günter Vollmer), Mauritius (Prof Ashish Wadhwani), Greece (Prof Eleni Skaltska), Sudan (Prof Sami Khalid), UAE (Prof Naglaa Saad), and Burkina Faso (Prof Sylvin Ouedraogo) participated in the summer school. They shared their in-depth knowledge in their respective fields of expertise with regards to natural products.
Photos credits: EYEscape
Day 1
The summer school started on Monday, the 15th of May where the attendees were welcomed by Prof Lall as well as Head of Department, Prof Nigel Barker. The keynote lecture for the day was presented by Prof Emerson Queiroz from the University of Geneva, Switzerland entitled “From complex natural extracts to pure bioactive compounds: the contemporary roadmap.” Lectures presented the rest of the day were centred around ethnopharmacological data collection, sustainable use and management of indigenous plant resources and bioprospecting. A traditional health practitioners Dr Ephraim Cebisa Mabena from the Mothong Cultural Heritage Trust, South Africa; also presented a talk on indigenous medicines.
Day 2
Ms. Jazmin Ponce Gomez from the University of Leipzig, Germany, presented to the attendees a very intriguing lecture on how to build a business model after which participants participated in brainstorming sessions in which they had to design their own business models. Speakers for the rest of the day included Prof Lyndy McGaw (lectured on phytomedicines for animal health), as well as Dr. Danielle Berrington, a postdoctoral fellow from Prof Lall’s own research team (lectured on the in vitro to in vivo development of Buddleja saligna (Willd) for the potential treatment of melanoma). Other speakers included Prof Sami Khalid from the University of Science and Technology (Sudan), Prof Ashish Wadhwani from JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research (Mauritius), and Prof Eleni Skaltska from the University of Athens (Greece).
Day 3
On Wednesday the speakers attended a special guest lecture by Prof Günter Vollmer of the University of Dresden (Germany), on the topic of “Preclinical animal models as crucial elements in natural product research translation”. Professor Vollmer is well known for his endocrinology related cancer research and gave new insights into his research. This inspired many researchers, well established ones as well as those who are only now starting their academic careers. During this time the participants engaged in a practical session where they had hands-on experience on learning the formulation of lip balm, lipstick, and soaps. Participants also had the time to experience the beauty and diversity of our campus through a Green Garden Campus tour as well as a visit to the stunning Javett Art Centre, committed to considering the historical and the future implications of our political and social actions.
Day 4
(From left to right: Prof Naglaa Saad, Dr Judy Pretorius, and Ms. Bianca Payne). On Thursday, Ms. Jazmin Ponce Gomez presented a short lecture on business modelling, specifically concerning partners and distributors, before participants had another brainstorming session to prepare their presentations. The rest of the day was jampacked, full of informative talks from leading researchers, established pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies, considered as leaders in the industry in South Africa. Professor Naglaa Saad from the UAE, focussed on the isolation, identification, and quantification of bioactive compounds after which Prof Günter Vollmer talked about the preclinical testing of these compounds. The director and one of the co-founders, Ms. Bianca Payne, from the start-up company emanated from Prof Lall’s team called, “Blyde Botanics”, based in South Africa, presented an informative talk on the development of products in South Africa and how to take these products from the bench to the shelf. Leaders in the industry included Biomedical Emporium and Letago Pharmaceuticals, which specialises in cosmeceutical products and health supplements, respectively.
Day 5
Friday started off with an excited buzz as participants anticipated presenting their business models. The presentations were remarkable, and presenters were very well prepared. The presentations were assessed, and the top presenters were chosen to receive awards. The rest of the day delegates enjoyed the best of South African nature and our diverse culture with a game drive at the Lion and Safari Park as well as a visit to the Lesedi Cultural Village.
Winners of the Business Canvas presentation
From left to right: Ms. Jazmin Ponce (Business model presenter), Dr. Michael Famuyide (Nigeria, conducting his postdoctoral fellowship in South Africa), Jonathan Jato (Ghana), Toluwanimi Akinleye (Nigeria), Prof Namrita Lall (The host of the VW Summer school), Robi Chacha (Kenya), Emmanuel Orman (Ghana), and Anna Quartey (Ghana)
Drumming session
Attendees participating in a drumming session at the SANBI Pretoria National Botanical Garden and visiting the Lesedi Cultural Village in the North West Province of South Africa
And some videos from the summer school: