Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (CRPM)

Director CRPM Research: Dr JG van der Walt, jgvdwalt@cut.ac.za | Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering

Research focus areas

• Additive Manufacturing of Medical Implants and Devices, using titanium alloy powders and polymers powders
• Additive Manufacturing of Aerospace Components
• Additive Manufacturing of Advanced Tooling
• Additive Manufacturing for Direct End-use
• Design for Additive Manufacturing as enabling competence

Centre for Applied Food Sustainability and Biotechnology (CAFSaB)

Professor and Centre Director: Prof. JFR Lues, rlues@cut.ac.za | Department of Life Sciences

The CAFSaB offers high-quality research outputs that culminate into postgraduate qualifications, publications in high-quality journals, patentable and commersialisable innovations and skills addition to members in the field of Food Safety and Biotechnology in the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences.

The aim are

1. To produce and increase authoritative research outputs and qualifications in the mentioned fields;
2. To foster an equitable, competent and motivated staff, student and adjust cohort;
3. To respond to, and collaborate with business and society via applied projects, outcomes and solutions;
4. To develop and expand critical mass and infrastructure;
5. To promote national and international collaboration, mobilisation and exchange; and
6. To establish selected foci as national and international leaders.

Niche-areas

• Food Safety Culture and Sustainability – Prof JFR Lues
• Functional Fermentations - Dr O de Smidt
• Vulnerable Food Environments – Dr J Nkhebenyane
• Antimicrobial Resistance and Tolerance - Dr C Manyi- Loh
• Ethno-Neutraceuticals - Dr I Nwafor
• Rural and Agricultural Water Quality – Dr L Esterhuizen
• Food and Waste Management – Dr H Roberts
• Geophagia and Health - Ms M Raphuthing
• Essential and Bioactive Oils – Prof N Malebo
• Phytopharmacology and IKS – Dr I Manduna
• Food safety Risk, Regulations and Systems – Prof L Anelich

Centre For Sustainable Smart City (CSSC)

Director: Prof. Saheed Oke soke@cut.ac.za|  Department of Civil Engineering

Sustainable smart cities use technology and data to improve the efficiency and sustainability of infrastructure and services. It aims to meet needs, while minimizing impact on the environment and using resources in a responsible and efficient way. A sustainable smart city uses a range of technologies and solutions to address challenges.

The objective of the centre is to focus on research that will be able to produce new technology, products, devices, structures, and methodology that will contribute towards the development of a Sustainable City of the Future. Through research and development, the centre aims to address United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), contribute to technology, enforce skills, and generate new knowledge with publications, patents, and products.

The CSSC operates by focusing on the following Grand Challenges.

Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus

Resilient and Adaptive Urban Environment

Education/Skills for the Future Work

Centre for Quality of Health and Living (CQHL)

Director: Prof. Tshepiso J Makhafola (Biochemistry, Toxicology, Cancer Biology; Ethnopharmacology), jmakhafola@cut.ac.za

The Centre has two main focus areas:

• Basic Medical Sciences
• Clinical Research

Basic Medical Sciences will include themes but are not limited to Drug discovery and Tissue engineering.

Drug discovery and medicinal plants

• Through drug discovery research from medicinal plants, novel antidiabetic and anticancer agents will be identified with novel structures and unique mechanisms of action.
• Thus, transforming bioactive traditional medicine into the world's best medicine for alternative cancer therapy.
• Drug discovery and development through technology-aided high throughput techniques to optimise the standard and quality of the research findings.
• Safety and efficacy of medicinal plants to be investigated and findings shared with the communities using medicinal plants, consequently enhancing the quality of life and health.
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Development of decellularised Biological Substitutes

Will the developed decellularised tissue maintain its integrity once implanted in the recipient?

Clinical Research will include themes but are not limited to:

• Public Health
• Education/Simulation
• Bio-Technology
• Therapy

It aims to:

Determine burden of cardiovascular disease in Central SA

• Is there an epidemiological change in cardiovascular disease profiles in Central SA – past versus current?

Obesity

• Demonstrated how early dietary intake affects long-term obesity risk and that prebiotic fibre consumption helps obese children improve their ability to maintain a healthy weight.
• Employed composite knowledge of genetics, nutrition and metabolism to predict, prevent and treat chronic metabolic disease states that begin in childhood and early adolescence including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.