PSFRU Principal Investigators

Dr. Ramesh Pandian finished his MSc and PhD at the "Centre for Advanced Study in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Chennai, India" between 2003 and 2012. Prof. G.N. Ramachandran, who developed the Ramachandran φ and ψ map for protein backbone validation, founded this department. Dr. Pandian did postdoctoral fellowships in South Korea and Portugal before joining our department. Dr. Pandian worked as an “Associate Professor” at the PRIST Deemed to be University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. During this time, he organized a world-class conference entitled “International Conference on Advanced Chemical and Structural Biology” in February 2019 with the keynote speaker Prof Ada E. Yonath (Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 2009). Dr. Pandian joined as postdoctoral research fellow with Prof. Yasien Sayed under the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), UK from 2018 to 2021 and he continued as an NRF-SARChI Researcher (Jan 2022 - Dec 2022). Dr. Pandian obtained his academic position as a researcher recently from January 2023. His research focuses on the structural and functional studies of hemoglobin and disease-causing proteins (Kinases and BL-CAP: blader cancer-associated proteins) using crystallography and computational biology techniques. Dr. Pandian visited several synchrotron beam lines for his crystal data collections such as Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (South Korea), SPring8 (Japan), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (France), and Diamond Light Source Ltd., (UK). Dr. Pandian has authored and co-authored over 75 research articles in internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals, in addition to his over 20 protein structure depositions in Protein Data Bank.

PhD and MSc Students

PhD Student

Farheen Pervez

MSc Student

Maryam Hashmi

Ikechukwu Achilonu did his undergraduate studies at Abia State University, Uturu, Abia State, Nigeria and graduate studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg between 2002 and 2008. He then proceeded to Wits University, Johannesburg as a post-doctoral fellow under the mentorship of Emeritus Prof Heini Dirr and under the auspices of the NRF/DST South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI) Programme in 2009. In 2012, he then held an academic position at Wits University as a SARChI Researcher, which enabled him to start his research group in Structural Biology and Biochemistry of NTD parasites and ESKAPE pathogens. His research integrates empirical studies and computational modelling studies toward the rational discovery of new generation anthelmintics and antibiotics. He is currently a senior lecturer in the School of Molecular and Cell Biology, and served as the Interim SARChI Chair in Protein Biochemistry and Structural Biology (20-29-2023). His lab collaborates with scientists and senior researchers at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), in Nairobi, Kenya. He has authored over 50 scientific reports and reviews and has over 16 protein structure depositions in the Protein Data Bank (RCSB-PDB). He has hosted over three post-doctoral fellows, including Dr Amarachi Iwuchukwu, Dr Chinyere Aloke, Dr Olga Faerch and Dr Sarah Oluwatobi Otun. He currently has six doctoral and five MSc students working in his research group.

Dr Achilonu's profile

Research Fellows & Research Staff

2021

Dr Chinyere Aloke
Position: Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Research Interest: Protein biochemistry, structural biology, phytomedicine and chronic diseases

2023

Dr Oluwatobi Sarah Otun

Position: Post Doctoral Research Fellow

Research Interest:  

Dr Emmanuel Iwuchukwu

Position: Post Doctoral Research Fellow

Research Interest:  

PhD Students

Olamide Jele

Reabetswe Maake

Olalekan Onisuru

Neo Padi

Akeel Valli

MSc Student

Charmaine Mathiba

The focus of Dr Fanucchi’s research group is protein structural biology and protein function with emphasis being on interactions between protein and other proteins, nucleic acid and membranes. To facilitate this research, Dr Fanucci uses a number of biophysical and structural techniques including circular dichroism, absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy, equilibrium and kinetics studies, isothermal titration calorimetry, surface plasmon resonance, mass spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. In 2019, Dr Fanucchi was the recipient of the Newton Advanced Fellowship award from the Royal Society with which she formed an important collaboration with Dr Carlos Penedo at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Through this collaboration, they have been exposed to the cutting edge technique of single molecule spectroscopy which, when combined with atomic resolution from crystal structures, provides detailed information on the kinetics and mechanisms of association of individual molecules.

The research currently being conducted by Dr Fanucchi’s group focusses on defining the mechanism and structures of protein interactions involved in forming neuromolecular networks in the brain. The aim is to better understand what it is that makes us human, our ability to speak, to read, to think. By disentangling the associations between some key proteins including FOXP2, FOXP1, TBR1, PAX1 and YY1, their associations with each other and with the promoter regions of certain genes we are able to answer important questions about how certain processes in the brain work and also about what influences certain disorders such as autism, dyslexia and schizophrenia.

Dr Fanucchi's profile

Post Doctoral Research Fellows & Research Staff

2022
Dr Heather Donald
Position: Research Assistant
Research Interest: Hepatitis viral proteins

2019
Dr Monare Thulo
Position: Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Research Interest: SARS-CoV N-protein-FOXP interaction

2021
Dr Ashleigh Blane
Position: Research Assistant
Research Interest: SARS-CoV N protein-FOXP2 interaction

2020 - 2022
Dr Joseph Kabogo
Position: Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Research Interest: FOXO1 regulation

PhD and MSc Students

PhD

Jessica Brothwell

Mande Goldfein

Alicia Johnson

Rethabile Mokoena

MSc Students

Raymond Hartman

Jessica Hurwitz

Kieran McInnes

Professor Yasien Sayed is based at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He is the Director of the Protein Structure-Function Research Unit (PSFRU) which is recognised by the University Research Council (URC). The PSFRU is housed in the discipline of Biochemistry and Cell Biology in the School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science. Prof Sayed completed his BSc, BSc (Hons) and PhD in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of the Witwatersrand. The title of his PhD thesis is: BIOCHEMICAL AND THERMODYNAMIC CHARACTERISATION OF LIGAND-BINDING TO HUMAN CLASS ALPHA GLUTATHIONE TRANSFERASE A1-1. He completed his PhD under the supervision of Professor Heini Dirr. At the time of joining Wits, Professor Dirr completed his postdoctoral training with Professor Robert Huber (Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1988) at the Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, Martinsried bei München, Federal Republic of Germany. Prof Sayed has interests in the following research areas: protein biochemistry, biological thermodynamics, structural biology, computational (Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics Simulations) biology, synthetic biology, rational drug design using a targeted approach, and quantum computing. He has a special interest in proteases from HIV and SAR-CoV. Prof Sayed’s group looks at the HIV-1 protease enzyme from HIV-1 subtype C viruses.  He is also conduction research into MPro (main protease) from SARS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2-MERS. 

Prof. Sayed's profile

Post Doctoral Research Fellows & Research Staff

2018 – 2021
Dr Ramesh Pandian
Position: Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Research Interest: Protein crystallization & structure deduction

2021
Dr Mia Olga Faerch
Position: Research Assistant
Research Interest: Isothermal titration calorimetry

2018
Dr Alison Williams
Position: Research Assistant
Research Interest: Variants of HIV-1 subtype C proteases

2008-2009
Dr Salerwe Mosebi
Position: Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Research Interest: HIC-1 subtype C protease