Brain Function Research Group

09/04/2026

Register to listen to Peter speak on painful diabetic neuropathy - 22 April at 17:00.

https://royalsocietysa.org.za/rsvp-22-april-2026/

Abstract: South Africa has the fourth highest number of people living with diabetes mellitus in sub-Saharan Africa, and the prevalence is growing. In his presentation, Peter Kamerman will talk about the most common neurological complication of diabetes, distal symmetrical polyneuropathy. This condition affects the ability of about half of the people with diabetes to feel sensations, particularly in the feet, which can have devastating consequences. Moreover, about thirty to fifty percent of those affected also develop intractable neuropathic (nerve) pain, but we do not know who will develop pain, how much pain they will experience, and how they will respond to treatment.

About the Speaker: Peter Kamerman is a professor in the Department of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He undertook his PhD training in thermoregulation and fever, but shifted his focus to studying pain in people living with HIV shortly after completing his degree. Since then, he has led an active research programme in the field of pain, with his research currently focuses on the epidemiology of pain, pain and itch in keloid scars, and painful diabetic neuropathy. Peter's expertise has enabled him to make significant contributions to the development of local and international guidelines for the management, diagnosis, grading, and phenotyping of neuropathic pain.

Date: Wednesday 22nd April 2026
Time: 17h00

register: https://royalsocietysa.org.za/rsvp-22-april-2026/

ALL WELCOME - PLEASE FORWARD TO COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS

07/04/2026

Article on recent collaborative research conducted between our pain lab (through Peter) and the UCT team.

A new UCT-led research study provides a clear picture of how pain affects South Africans’ daily life and functioning.

02/04/2026

Congratulations to Dhuriya Cajee on the submission of her MSc dissertation on "The experiences of individuals living with neuropathic pain: systematic review and meta-ethnography". She was supervised by Peter Kamerman.

02/04/2026

Congratulations to Hannah Southwood on submitting her MSc Med (Vaccinology) for examination. She was supervised by Clement Adu-Gyamfi (postdoc within the Sleep lab/BFRG), Melinda Suchard (School of Pathology) and Karine Scheuermaier. Her MSc is on ‘Evaluation of plasma indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase protein as a diagnostic biomarker for Tuberculosis.’

01/04/2026

Congrats to Khaalid on the submission of his PhD thesis titled “Peripheral and Central Immune Responses Associated with Serotype III Invasive Group B Streptococcal Colonisation”. Khaalid was supervised by Lois Harden and Ashmeetha Manilall.

26/03/2026

Nature paper for Ned and Ash!!! 👏🎉

12/02/2026

Congratulations to Andrea on being invited to write a review, with co-authors Duncan and Shane, for Annual Review of Physiology.

As far as we are aware, Andrea is only the second South African, after Cyril Wyndham (Duncan's PhD supervisor), to be invited to write a review for this prestigious journal (impact factor 19.1), which covers significant developments in the field of physiology.

Many colleagues have contributed to the body of work described in the review - students, postdocs, veterinarians, and collaborators - as well as reserve managers and funders.

Most scenarios that seek to predict the responses of terrestrial mammals to climate change focus on the direct thermal effects of higher ambient temperatures. Measurements from free-living mammals reveal that the physiological challenge for many terrestrial mammals facing climate change will arise f...

30/01/2026

What’s happening in the BFRG? Follow our Instagram pages for regular news and updates, including introductions now to our new 2026 postgraduate students.

26/01/2026

Andrea recently contributed, with members of the editorial team at Conservation Physiology, to an article on writing constructive peer reviews. The article should be useful to early career researchers or anyone who would like to improve their peer reviews.

Peer review has been the cornerstone of scientific inquiry for centuries and is considered the backbone of scientific quality and rigour (Spier, 2002). Des

19/01/2026

Wishing everyone all the best for 2026!

lf you are in the area, please join us on Thursday (22 Jan) for a welcome tea in the RH room at 10:00! Alumni and friends welcome too.

On that note, we are also pleased to have Marié Landsberg, a second-year PhD student, helping out this year as a part-time research officer. She will be assisting with BFRG social event planning, research activities, and admin. Be sure to say hi and reach out if you have any questions or ideas.

15/12/2025

In memory of Nad Brain, a former PhD student, whose pioneering work is still relevant today. He was the first of several veterinarians to complete a PhD within our Group. Article by Duncan Mitchell and Carole Roberts.

%%title%% %%sep%% %%primary_category%% %%sep%% %%sitename%% %%sep%%The Brain Function Research Group (BFRG) mourns the premature passing of its former PhD student in Windhoek on 24 November.