Professor Bavesh Kana is Full Professor and Head of the School of Pathology at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, where he also Directs a Research and Innovation Unit. He serves on South Africa’s National Advisory Council on Innovation, by invitation of the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, and has represented his country on the BRICS TB Research Network, championing science diplomacy across Africa and globally. His research spans drug and vaccine discovery, including identification of novel targets through mycobacterial cell division and peptidoglycan remodelling. His clinical work encompasses detection of non-culturable tubercle bacteria as markers of treatment response and transmission risk, and also includes development of tongue swabs and oral rinses for TB diagnosis. He is a prolific innovator, translating his science directly into healthcare impact. Using the principles of biomimicry, his team engineered safe, non-infectious diagnostic controls now deployed in over 80 countries for instrument verification and quality assurance. This work has underpinned the spin-out company SmartSpot Quality, in addition to earning WHO and CDC endorsement. Professor Kana is a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa and recipient of the SAMRC Gold Scientific Achievement Award. He holds the National Research Foundation Societal Impact Award, conferred only once ever in South Africa to a scientist whose work has meaningfully transformed the lives of patients and communities.

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Topic: TRAC Seminar Series

Time: Every week on Wednesday at 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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https://jhjhm.zoom.us/j/94704979755?pwd=YpHbpfn2jpsUhPl2DVXtYsehDQSrMP.1

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