UCT-led institute celebrates a decade of Africanising neuroscience

A child whose brain is damaged by infection, malnutrition or neglect; or an adult whose mind is lost to dementia, depression or addiction is not only a personal tragedy – it is a loss to a family, a community, a country and the world at large.

And for a nation like South Africa, whose challenges and ambitions are both plentiful, investing in brain health is one of the most important investments the country can make. This was according to Professor Thokozani Majozi, the deputy vice-chancellor (DVC) for Research and Internationalisation at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He was speaking during the 10th anniversary celebration of UCT’s Neuroscience Institute (NI) – an inter- and cross-disciplinary research institute that aims to fast-track novel treatment options for neurological disorders and galvanise research around brain health. To celebrate a decade of placing scholars’ work and patients’ needs at the centre of global neuroscience priorities, the institute hosted at two-day research symposium on 5–6 November. The event included presentations by various clinicians and a research display by postgraduate students.

“In my time at this university, I’ve come to understand that what distinguishes the Neuroscience Institute is not a single discovery, though there are many. It’s the quality of its ambition and the generosity of its culture,” Professor Majozi said.

A dedicated, multidisciplinary facility

What started as an idea more than 10 years ago has today developed into a dedicated, multidisciplinary facility that co-locates clinical neuro disciplines like neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry under one roof. It’s the first of its kind in South Africa and the continent and was established in partnership with the Provincial Department of Health. The NI is based at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) – a UCT teaching hospital.

Majozi said when scholars envisioned establishing an institute of this kind, the mandate was clear: research on African populations should not be conducted solely by other scholars in nations around the world. It should be done by African scientists for the African people on the African continent. After all, he added, the brains of this continent “deserve the world’s best science [because] Africa is not a footnote to the brain, it is central to it”.

“It’s not easy to build [and] it’s very easy to lose.”

But developing this world-class centre has taken work.

“It’s not easy to build [and] it’s very easy to lose. It takes leadership that is willing to give credit where credit is due. It takes a scientific advisory board that is willing to ask hard questions and stay for the answers. It takes a university that understands this role, which is to protect the space in which this kind of work can flourish,” he said.

UCT’s full support

Because the university understands the importance of the institute’s work, their body of discoveries and the pipeline of scientists they hope to produce, Majozi said UCT fully supports its strategy.

“On behalf of this institution, we will keep building the partnerships here and across the world that make science possible. We will keep insisting that the work done here is not just for the benefit of a few, but for the benefit of all.”

Majozi reminded the students in the room that the institute – with state-of-the-art facilities and technology that aims to improve patient care, research, teaching and training, as well as advocacy and to address South Africa’s high burden of disease in mental and neurological disorders – was set-up with them in mind.

“You are not the audience for this anniversary. You are the reason for it. A decade from now, when a different DVC stands here for the 20th celebration, it will be your names on the programme. It will be your students’ presentations on posters and your questions driving this field,” he said.

Where it all started

When he took to the podium, Professor Graham Fieggen, the director of the NI, took the audience many years back in time. He said the idea to establish a centre dedicated to neuroscience dates back six decades, when the then head of the Division of Neurosurgery, Emeritus Professor Kay de Villiers, first proposed the idea. Over the years, Professor De Villiers’ colleague and friend, and the former head of UCT’s Division of Neurology, Emeritus Professor Roland Eastman, kept this dream alive and too became a strong advocate for the centre.

But it was only when Professor Fieggen arrived in London in the late 1980s for postgraduate study that he began to understand Emeritus Professor De Villiers’ idea and its benefits more and more. And when he was appointed the head of the Division of Neurosurgery years later, with Emeritus Professor Eastman’s guidance, he made work of establishing the NI. Together with the fellow heads of neurology, psychiatry and neuropsychology, they came up with a shared vision for the NI and made what was once an idea, a reality.
He acknowledged in particular the pioneering contribution made by the late Professor Dan Stein in establishing the Brain Behaviour Initiative as a signature theme at UCT – a key step towards the creation of the institute.

“Anybody working in this building can have an original Nobel Prize-winning idea [like Cormack].”

“What really energised us was knowing an incredibly talented and powerful generation [of students] was coming,” Fieggen said.

Building the home

While setting up the institute meant caring for patients with neurological disorders, to enable this work, supporting young researchers in their research endeavours has been a fundamental piece of the puzzle.

“I think that was the first thing we were able to do, to invest money in incredibly talented young people who have gone on to just have amazing careers,” he said.

And the NI has grown by leaps and bounds and today even has a home of its own. But why was finding a designated building to carry out clinicians’ work so important? Fieggen said getting everyone together under one roof makes a big difference. As luck would have it, he said, there was a space available in the very rundown J-Block building on the GSH precinct. The building, he said, had a fascinating history and was where the late Allan Cormack – a lecturer in UCT’s Department of Physics – worked when he came up with his Nobel Prize-winning idea for the computer-assisted tomography (CAT) scan. In 1979, Cormack won the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology and shared the award with Godfrey Hounsfield.

“It’s such an amazing piece of the history of this building [and] anybody working in this building can have an original Nobel Prize-winning idea [like Cormack],” Fieggen said.

What makes it special?

Fieggen noted with pride the strides the NI has made over the years. Since its formation, several noteworthy projects have sprouted from within the institute, including the African Brain Child initiative, the Khula LEAP Project, the EthicsLab and an array of other research programmes.

“What’s special about the NI? Well, I think one of the things that is pretty unusual is the extent to which we cross the entire lifespan, from antenatal through to old age. And we do everything from molecular work through to cellular neuroscience and whole tissue neuroscience,” he said. “And I think that is a comprehensive approach to the human brain.”

“I think it’s pretty unusual and I’m not sure that there are too many institutions in the world that do this.”

For his contribution and foresight, Prof Graham Fieggen named Emeritus Professor Roland Eastman as an honorary member of the NI. He received his certificate as his family watched proudly from the audience.

The NI made following notable announcements during the two-day symposium:

• The Roy McAlpine Foundation funded chair in Neurdevelopmental research was awarded to the NI’s deputy director Professor Kirsty Donald.
• The NI announced the first clinical trial on the continent approved for psilocybin, ketamine, ingrained and sceletium. The trial, initially ideated by the late Professor Dan Stein, is being run by NI member, Professor Jackie Hoare.
• The NI launched its 2026–2028 research strategy earlier this year.