SABINA: Southern African Biochemistry and Informatics
for Natural Products

Participating Institutions

University of Malawi
University of Namibia
University of Dar es Salaam
University of Pretoria
University of the Witwatersrand
CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
Tea Research Foundation of Central Africa, Malawi

Academic Director and Secretariat

Professor John D. Saka, Department of Chemistry, University of Malawi

Because of the great biodiversity of southern Africa, increased capacity in natural products research has the potential to increase food security, public health, and value-added exports. The SABINA network will train both PhD and MSc scientists through research in the biochemistry and chemistry of natural products, including bioinformatics as an essential tool for data management and the elucidation of structure and function. Research will focus on increasing the understanding of useful plants or fungi (such as mushrooms, seaweeds, and tea crops) through the study of screening assays, biosynthetic pathways, gene expression, modes of action, synthetic production, and genetic diversity.