Ndlovu Research Department
Ndlovu research program Clinical and commercial studies
Ndlovu research laboratory
The NCG operates a state-of-the-art clinical trials and research laboratory in collaboration with world-class and renowned research institutions, scientists and sponsors.
The uniqueness of the Ndlovu research department is the mix of academic and experimental research. Research findings are directly translated into policy papers that lead to improved treatment guidelines and patient care.
A research facility of this kind in a rural area is unusual, but it is urgently needed. With this facility, Hugo Tempelman has managed to focus the attention of international scientists on Elandsdoorn, on what is going on in the province of Limpopo in South Africa.
After more than 20 years of medical, infrastructural and social work on the ground, Hugo Tempelman and his Ndlovu Care Group can look back on considerable successes. Years of work on the ground in Elandsdoorn have provided extensive practical experience and significant insights from various research findings. But it is not in the nature of doctors to rest on their laurels and leave it at that.
The Ndlovu Care Group began to produce detailed program evaluations and impact analyses in order to provide them with evidence-based foundations. Since 2006, the academic NCG has been collaborating with Utrecht University in the Netherlands, in particular with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Internal Medicine. In 2014, the Ndlovu Research Consortium was founded, from which the Ndlovu Research Department emerged.
Studies
The research program is working on its own scientific studies in collaboration with a number of laboratories such as the Department of Virology at Utrecht University (Netherlands), BARC, NICD and
NHLS. Commercial studies are also carried out on behalf of international pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson&Johnson. The research center is set up and equipped in such a way that it has the capacity for several simultaneous studies.
PCR tests
The laboratory is certified by the Department of Health (DoH) as an accredited Covid-19 testing center. As a partner of the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS), it is used as an overflow laboratory for the provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo. PCR testing is used here not only for SARS-CoV-2 viruses, but also for HIV, for example. In addition, molecular tests are also carried out for an extensive panel of more than 25 respiratory pathogens, STIs and hematological tests.
Diagnostics
The NCG research laboratory is equipped with all basic laboratory equipment, many special devices and four Class II microbiological safety cabinets.
The laboratory is able to store a large number of clinical samples at temperatures ranging from 4°C to -135°C. The laboratory currently performs the following diagnostics: Pregnancy, HIV, Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBSAG), urinalysis, ARV drug level tests, hematology tests and serology tests.
DNA sequencing
The research laboratory is equipped with the latest generation of equipment. Through the mediation of the Hugo Tempelman Foundation, GIZ has contributed significantly to capacity building and sequencing equipment. The Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa ( NGS-SA ) does not have a laboratory in the three northern provinces, and with the generous donation from GIZ (German Development Cooperation), the Ndlovu Research Laboratory can contribute to this important program.
Possibilities of the molecular biology department
The laboratory staff is highly qualified and certified to perform the isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).