UVA School of Medicine

Vitals Spring 2014

University of Virginia School of Medicine Vitals magazine published by the UVA Medical Alumni Association and Medical School Foundation (MAA MSF)

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r e s e a rc h gr between two institutions on two different continents in two different hemispheres. "You come and gain experience, then you go back to your university and give back to the university," Mavhandu explains. "You have to teach other people what you have learned—the techniques that the University of Venda doesn't have but the University of Virginia can offer, as well as what the University of Venda has that the University of Virginia doesn't have. so it's a give-and-take relationship. a true exchange of ideas." U S I N G P l a N t S to b at t l e h I V Mavhandu's time in america required her and her family to make sacrifices. traveling far from home for her training was often difficult for the wife and young mother. But those personal sacrifices were trumped by the importance of her work and what it could mean for her fel- low south africans. Mavhandu is working to develop a bioassay to test for drug resistance in the HiV virus' subtype C. that subtype is the most common in south africa, asia and india but has been the subject of less research than the subtype most common in the United states. the bioassay will allow scientists to screen compounds from south african plants that are thought to have anti-HiV replication abilities. "there are so many plants that are capable of helping people who have low immune systems," Ma- vhandu says. "anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-viral or anti-HiV—those plants are known especially by the traditional heal- ers, so it helps us as scientists to have a molecular understanding." U Va'S I N t e R N at I o N a l e f f o R t S When Hammarskjold and Rekosh came to UVa in the 1990s, they had not intended to become involved in interna- s he traveled thousands of miles from rural south africa to the University of Virginia school of Medicine so that she can make a difference in her country's battle against HiV. lufuno Mavhandu, who grew up in the small village of Muduluni, recently conducted research at UVa as part of an important collaboration between the Myles H. thaler Center for aiDs and Human Retrovirus Research in the school of Medicine and the Depart- ment of Microbiology at south africa's University of Venda. Her work with her UVa mentors—HiV experts Marie-louise Hammarskjold, MD, PhD, and David Rekosh, PhD—will allow the 31-year-old to obtain her doctorate from the Univer- sity of Venda, commonly called Univen, this spring. a longstanding relationship between UVa and Univen has allowed for a pow- erful exchange of knowledge and ideas UVA and Univen continue exchange of knowledge and ideas south african student Conducting innovative HiV Work "There is strong research going on [at the University of Venda], but there are still some things we are still learning, as we are in a developing country. But I trust that in a couple of years, our university will have the best." –Lufuno Mavhandu "There is strong research going on [at the University of Venda], but there are still some things we are still learning, as we are in a developing country. But I trust that in a couple of years, our university will have the best." –Lufuno Mavhandu 8 Vitals Spring 2014

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