On Tuesday, the Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI) facility, Africa’s first nuclear medicine research center featuring a cyclotron for producing isotopes used in radiation therapy, was officially opened in Pretoria.
The NuMeRI will bring together expertise in nuclear technologies for medicine and biosciences, significantly boosting South Africa’s research, development, and innovation capacity. It will also aid in treating cancer and other diseases.
Dr. Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, highlighted the facility’s global significance at the opening ceremony. He noted that NuMeRI is a product of South Africa’s long-standing cooperation with the European Union (EU), dating back to 2012. This collaboration led to the development of the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR).
“The mobilisation of innovation and technology to address the disease burden and provide quality healthcare to all South Africans is a key priority of my department’s Decadal Plan on Science, Technology, and Innovation,” said Dr. Nzimande. He added that NuMeRI is a crucial pillar in this effort.
A Hub for Medical Imaging and Drug Development
NuMeRI is a comprehensive medical imaging facility dedicated to drug development and imaging-based clinical research. Open to all researchers, it will advance bio-innovations from radiolabelling to preclinical testing, contribute to good manufacturing practices, and support clinical trials.
The facility will also enhance the precision medicine approach and targeted personalized therapies in South Africa.
Governance and Management
To ensure effective governance, the University of Pretoria and Steve Biko Academic Hospital established a not-for-profit company (NPC) for NuMeRI. The University of Pretoria and the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) are founding members, supported by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) officials actively involved in NuMeRI’s implementation.
The first phase of NuMeRI, hosted at Necsa, was funded with nearly R150 million between 2016 and 2019. The second phase, at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, started in the 2020/21 financial year with approximately R390 million invested since 2020 by the DSI. Additionally, the University of Pretoria received an extra R85 million for the NuMeRI building.
Human Resource Development
Dr. Nzimande expects this infrastructure to triple the number of clinical PhDs and increase six-fold the number of basic science PhDs. So far, 20 Masters and 15 PhD students have completed their studies, with 17 more Master’s and 22 PhD students nearing completion.
NuMeRI’s research will bolster the National Department of Health’s objectives, enhancing nuclear medicine capacity in South Africa and across Africa. It will also advance research in medicinal chemistry, speeding up drug development for diseases like cancer and tuberculosis, giving South African pharmaceuticals a competitive edge globally.
Research will primarily focus on oncology but will also cover other communicable and non-communicable diseases.
A Milestone for African Science
“The opening of this facility represents a significant milestone in the development of scientific infrastructure for our country. NuMeRI is the first of its kind on the African continent,” said Dr. Nzimande.
Source: SAnews
