South Africa Built a Medical Research Powerhouse. Trump Cuts Have Demolished It.
In Cape Town, South Africa, one of the world's foremost H.I.V. researchers has been spending a chunk of each day gently telling longtime workers and young doctoral students that the money is gone and so are their jobs. When the calls are done, she weeps in her empty office.
In the heart of Johannesburg, the lobby of a building that once housed hundreds of scientists is empty of people but choked with discarded office furniture and heaps of files hastily gathered from shuttered research sites.
South Africa has for decades been a medical research powerhouse, yet its stature has been little known to people outside the field. South Africa's scientists have been responsible for key breakthroughs against major global killers, including heart disease, H.I.V. and respiratory viruses such as Covid-19. They have worked closely with American researchers and have been awarded more research funding from the United States than any other country has received.
But a swift series of executive orders and budget cuts from the Trump administration have, in a matter of months, demolished this research ecosystem.
There are grim ramifications for human health worldwide, and also for pharmaceutical companies, including American giants such as Pfizer, Merck, Abbott and Gilead Sciences, which rely heavily on South Africa's research complex when they develop and test new drugs, vaccines and treatments.
'South Africa is the beacon,' said Dr. Harold Varmus, a professor of medicine at Cornell University who was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for his work on cancer biology and who was a director of the National Institutes of Health.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
7 hours ago
- New York Times
The Waste Musk Created
On the edge of a lush jungle here in West Africa, the heavy metal doors of a warehouse creak open. Inside are boxes piled high with millions of doses of medicines donated by Merck and other pharmaceutical companies for a United States aid program. Yet the medications are gathering dust, and some are approaching their expiration dates and may have to be destroyed, at immense expense. It's an excellent example of the waste that President Trump claims was rife in the United States Agency for International Development. ('Absolutely obscene,' as he put it in February.) But this waste of drugs exists only because his administration shut down U.S.A.I.D. and canceled plans to distribute these medicines, even though the pills cost America nothing and are ready to use. Each tax dollar invested in mass administration of drugs like these leverages $26 in donated medicines, making the effort astoundingly cost-effective. One of the medications languishing in this warehouse is sufficient to protect 7.6 million children and adults from a parasitic disease called river blindness. Other donated medicines in the warehouse would rid more than two million children of worms, plus protect 1.4 million kids from a debilitating parasitic ailment called schistosomiasis that causes pain, weakness and bloody urine. These medicines also have the side benefit of protecting against worms that cause elephantiasis, a disfiguring and humiliating ailment. 'People come to ask for these drugs,' Tamba Koroma, the warehouse's watchman, told me. 'We tell them we can't distribute them.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
News24
13 hours ago
- News24
Out derm spot! We take a dive into the new salmon sperm skincare trend
Carmen Williams dives into the latest breakthrough in skincare, PDRN, a DNA-derived ingredient often sourced from salmon sperm, that's transforming skin repair, anti-aging, and post-treatment recovery. Get into the science behind PDRN, its proven benefits, and why South African clinics are beginning to embrace this innovative treatment. Whether you're curious about in-clinic options or topical applications, this guide has everything you need to decide if PDRN deserves a spot in your skincare routine. Retinol, ceramides and hyaluronic acid are just some of the trendy skincare ingredients we've seen in the last few years, but now there's a new supreme – and its origins might surprise you. Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), a DNA fragment most commonly sourced from salmon sperm, is being hailed as a game-changer for skin repair, anti-ageing, and post-treatment recovery. But does it live up to the hype? Are South African aesthetic clinics offering these treatments? And what should you know before trying this new miracle ingredient? News24 spoke to Dr Dilshaad Asmal, a dermatologist, and Maryke Kaasjager, aesthetician and owner of Best Laser and Skin Clinic, to unpack the science, benefits, and whether this ingredient is worth adding to your skincare routine. What exactly is it? PDRN is a DNA-derived ingredient that promotes cell regeneration, collagen production, and wound healing. Originally studied for its ability to speed up recovery in diabetic ulcers (with one Italian study showing 37.3% of PDRN-treated wounds fully healing within eight weeks compared to just 18.9% in the placebo group), it has since made its way into aesthetic medicine and luxury skincare. 'It has regenerative and anti-inflammatory properties,' explains Asmal. 'It stimulates fibroblasts, the cells responsible for collagen, and helps with new blood vessel formation, ensuring better nutrient delivery to skin cells.' READ | Skincare and tattoos: What retinol, acids, and vitamin C will do to your ink What surprises most people is that most PDRN in use today comes from a derivative of salmon sperm, thanks to a similarity between the polynucleotides extracted from salmon DNA and human DNA. However, plant-based alternatives are emerging, like ginseng-derived PDRN. Ginseng has antioxidant properties and may improve hydration and elasticity, but it's more commonly found in cosmetic products rather than medical treatments. Salmon-based PDRN remains the gold standard - unless you're allergic to seafood (more on that later). Kaasjager's clinic became interested in using PDRN after seeing its success overseas. 'We're always on the lookout for innovative, evidence-based treatments that deliver real results,' says Kaasjager. 'After diving into clinical studies and witnessing its success in Korean and European clinics, we decided to incorporate it into our microneedling treatments.' PDRN in skincare: What can it actually do? According to Asmal, the most proven benefits of PDRN include: Firmer, smoother, more elastic skin Reduced fine lines and wrinkles Improved hydration and skin tone Faster healing post-surgery or laser treatments Kaasjager also praises the ingredient and its benefits. But there's a catch - how you use it matters. Injected vs topical: What works better? Injected PDRN (used in clinics) penetrates deep into the dermis, activating collagen synthesis and blood vessel formation. Topical PDRN (serums, creams) has limited penetration due to the skin barrier. 'Studies support that injected PDRN is more effective,' says Asmal. So, while PDRN-infused serums may offer some benefits, in-office treatments (like microneedling with PDRN) deliver far better results. At Best Laser and Skin Clinic, Kaasjager and her team offer various treatment options, such as a microneedling serum during Dermapen treatments, radio-frequency needling, and after HIFU skin tightening. 'While still considered advanced in South Africa, awareness is growing rapidly,' says Kaasjager. Who should try PDRN? PDRN isn't just for anti-ageing; it's a great skincare multitasker that can help with: Ageing skin (boosts collagen, reduces wrinkles) Acne scars & pigmentation (improves skin tone) Post-laser or peel recovery (speeds healing) Inflammatory skin conditions (soothes irritation) Hair growth (early studies suggest scalp benefits) Post-surgery healing (used in plastic and orthopaedic surgery) Is it safe for all skin types? Kaasjager says that PDRN is generally safe for all skin types, even sensitive skin, but precautions are taken with clients who have seafood allergies, active infections, or are pregnant or breastfeeding. 'We prefer using it with microneedling treatments for better tolerance,' she says. 'Ensure you're working with a trained professional using high-quality PDRN and have realistic expectations. Best results come from a series of treatments and a holistic skincare approach,' adds Kaasjager. Can PDRN replace retinol or microneedling? The short answer? No. But it is a potent enhancer of those treatments. 'It's not a replacement, but it enhances outcomes,' says Asmal. PDRN + retinol = Better hydration and repair for sensitive skin PDRN + Microneedling = Faster collagen stimulation Kaasjager says PDRN can make for a powerful combo: 'When combined with RF microneedling or laser, PDRN accelerates healing, amplifies collagen production, and reduces downtime. It's a game-changer for achieving better textural improvements and glow.' She adds that PDRN works well with hyaluronic acid, peptides, ceramides, and niacinamide, but aggressive exfoliants should be avoided after treatment to ensure the most benefits. It is worth noting that PDRN is not suitable for those with seafood allergies, particularly an allergy to salmon. Be sure to inform your aesthetician of your allergy before treatment of any kind. What are the risks and side effects? While using PDRN is generally safe, you should watch out for: - Redness, swelling, or itching (common at injection sites); - Rare allergic reactions (especially if you have a seafood allergy because it should be avoided in that case); - Avoid if pregnant, breastfeeding, or immunocompromised. Is it just a niche fad, or will it become mainstream? While it's still a luxury treatment, Asmal believes PDRN has staying power. 'There's a growing demand for non-invasive anti-ageing treatments,' she says. 'It's being used in dermatology, plastic surgery, and post-laser care.' But she warns: 'It is not a miracle anti-ageing treatment, and it does not work immediately. Its effects are gradual, and multiple sessions are needed to see results. There is no instant gratification.' Kaasjager adds that in-office treatments can produce faster results, but they still take a while: 'With microneedling, clients typically see improved hydration within 7-10 days. Long-term benefits like improved texture and elasticity become noticeable after 3-4 sessions.' But if you're using topical treatments, look for products that have been clinically tested by reputable manufacturers. 'Professional-grade products generally have higher concentrations,' she says. 'We believe PDRN is on the trajectory to become much more mainstream, especially as regenerative aesthetics grow. It may soon become a standard skin-repair ingredient,' says Kaasjager. PDRN is more than just a skincare trend - it's a clinically backed regenerative treatment with documented benefits when incorporated into skincare routines under professional supervision. While topical products may offer some perks, the best results come from in-clinic procedures. Microneedling treatments with a dermapen at Best Laser and Skin Clinic are R1 590 for the basic treatment, but there's an additional fee of R300 if you're adding PDRN.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Biotech industry faces off: US vs. China
China has become a significant player in the biotech space, potentially threatening the lead the US holds. EY Americas industry markets leader for health sciences and wellness Arda Ural sits down with Josh Lipton and Yahoo Finance Senior Reporter Anjalee Khemlani to discuss the dynamics between the US and China in the biotech industry. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination Overtime here According to a recent report from the Harvard Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, China has the most immediate opportunity to overtake the United States in biotechnology. For more, let's welcome in Arta Rawi America's industry markets leader and Health Sciences and wellness, as well as Yahoo Finance's very own Anjali Camlani. Welcome to you both. All right, I'll start with you. Uh, maybe it's just a big question, big picture question. Does the US have the investment power, in your opinion, to overtake China in biotech? Yeah, thanks for having me. Uh, the biotech is the innovation feeder to the big pharmaceuticals and it only uh nurtures well in an ecosystem. So to answer your question, what do you need in that ecosystem for that to nurture? Uh, investment capacity, which we have been having for the last, you know, decades, if you will, to kind of keep investing in that innovation to move on. NIH has been probably the world's largest VC over $40 billion in non-dilute funding into the entrepreneurial startups. Then you have talent who has been, you know, coming all these top universities and MDs and PhDs who are dedicated to advance it. And then you need this technology transfer system so that those intellectual property translate into a startup. And then with that investment capacity, it keeps growing and then through testing and going to the humans and then ultimately being developed for everyone's use. So, uh, yes, the US still has the capacity to invest, but it is not potentially the only game in town given the development coming from China. I'm curious, Arta, because we know, I know you've been tracking the deals and uh, we've seen the number of deals steadily increasing over the years. I saw, uh, one of the ones that you sent, which looks at the number of deals so far to date for 2025 is more than half of what we saw in 2024. So we can expect that to really outpace 2024. What does that mean though? Because I know that some of the deals that are happening are more, um, what you would call licensing deals, right? It's not necessarily that this money is going to from scratch investment and innovation, but it's more stuff that has already happened and is built up. Talk to me about that and why that matters. I mean, first of all, the numbers are pretty compelling. A couple years ago, we had pretty much like no deals under a billion dollars in 2016. And as of last year, there were $30 billion worth of licensing deals from Chinese assets into the US, and 2025 is a very strong start, so they're definitely going to beat that number. So the reason why this is happening is in 2015, Chinese Communist Party put a priority of investing in biotech and that was a priority sectors. And it was 10 years ago, and that 10 years of journey started to play out for their benefit because China historically has been known for this active product ingredients and excipients, which is like the chemicals that pharmaceuticals were using to make small molecule products. And that journey now is taking them to upstream to more advanced innovation. Probably we still have not seen a first in class, but clearly they are going for best in class, like those are the shots on goal if you are seeing more and more. Well, that's why, that would be my question because I know that we've seen sort of they're doing copycats or metoos in terms of the type of innovation coming out of China. Um, do we expect that they have the wherewithal to outdo the US then in that sense, in terms of coming up with the next blockbuster for the entire world? I mean, there are a couple examples, early examples that some of the Chinese based assets actually head-to-head comparisons, you know, beat or exceed, at least match the efficacy and safety profile of some of the Western developed compounds. But this is also a journey as the audio question. So what is it, what do they need more to get there? So they have the talent. I mean a lot of Western educated MDs and PhDs went back to China working on that. The government itself as a part of prioritization program have been investing in it. So then the question is, do they have an exit strategy for those entrepreneurs? And that I think is where they are lacking because there's no like an IPO market that is comparable to the Western standards. There's no like an M&A exit until recently. I think that's where the weakness kind of may be the opportunity for them to come up. But the deals we were talking about, they're because of the intellectual property concerns, because of the concerns of reliability and trust in the data because, you know, there's no such institution in the world like FDA that everyone trusts and hopefully continue to trust. And for that reason, the deals seem to be more asset purchases. So I'm not taking a risk by operating in China, but I'm buying the asset and in a licensing deal, and I'll continue to develop it, especially if you can make this cheaper and faster in China, which has been their competitive advantage over the Western companies, then you bring that into a human fast and then the human testing can be done, validations can be done in the more Western setting. I think that can be a winning formula for the industry. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
