University of Pretoria

• In the 1970s and 1980s, pine trees growing in various forestry plantations in South Africa’s Western Cape province began to die in patches.
• These trees succumbed to a mysterious root disease and the patches expanded gradually.
• As in many other true crime dramas, the finger was initially pointed at the most likely suspect: the root-infecting Phytophthora cinnamomi.
• Through a blend of perseverance, technology, and a touch of serendipity, it was possible to solve a decades-old mystery.

Tracking a killer

• In 2020, the samples were revived by a team that included ourselves and several others who recently published a paper on the topic.
• We sequenced the samples’ DNA to reveal their unique genetic code.
• By comparing this code against genetic databases, it was possible to figure out exactly what was causing the tree disease.
• And so, more than four decades after the disease was first described, the pathogen was finally identified as Rhizina undulata.

It pays to be patient

• These fires can be accidental or due to what is known as slash-burning after trees are harvested.
• Our work is also a testament to the timeliness of scientific progress and the importance of patience.
• This underlines the need for continued investment into research and the development of new tools, both in South Africa and worldwide.

• Andi Wilson receives funding from the National Research Foundation through a Scarce Skills Postdoctoral Fellowship.
• Brenda Wingfield receives funding from South African Department of Science and Innovation.

• Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced changes to its executive leadership team to further advance its aspirations to discover and develop new medicines and vaccines, with an emphasis on oncology.
• Effective today, Chris Boshoff, M.D., PhD, will join Pfizer’s Executive Leadership Team as Chief Oncology Research and Development Officer and Executive Vice President reporting to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Albert Bourla.
• Under his leadership, Pfizer will continue to invest in its fight against cancer and Dr. Boshoff will be the single point of accountability for the entire oncology pipeline – from discovery to early and late-phase clinical development.
• Mikael Dolsten, M.D., PhD, currently Chief Scientific Officer & President, Pfizer Worldwide Research, Development and Medical, will now expand his role to lead all discovery, early- and late-stage clinical development, for all non-oncology therapeutic areas as Chief Scientific Officer, President, Pfizer Research & Development.

• Governments are making it more difficult to move, especially for certain groups of vulnerable people.
• But evidence shows that much of what we think about migration – particularly those of us in Europe, North America and Australia – is wrong.
• Political narratives, often replicated in the media, shape the conversation and public attitudes toward migration.

Challenging the narrative

• Then, the breakup of the former Yugoslavia caused what was often referred to as a refugee “crisis” in Europe.
• Language like “crisis” has been a part of the discourse on migration for years.
• But Crawley thinks of this in a particular way: “It’s absolutely fair to say that there is a crisis associated with migration.
• She explained how, in Europe especially, perceptions of those who do migrate are often clouded by a narrative that people who move, legally, for work are “good” migrants.

Migration in the global south

• According to Crawley, about one third of global migration happens within the global north (Europe, North America, Australia and parts of Asia), one third happens within the global south (South America, Africa and parts of Asia), and the remaining third is between the two.
• He studies the relationship between migration, development and regional integration (countries forming economic and trade relationships with each other) in Africa.
• In some cases, this funding to stop migration has been used in a way that causes instability and violence – and ultimately, more migration.

Looking toward the future

• While this will present challenges for governments, Nshimbi said the history of migration on the continent gives him reason to be optimistic.
• He said he wonders why European countries talk about refugee “crises” when countries in Africa regularly host many more refugees.
• This episode was written and produced by Avery Anapol and Mend Mariwany, who is also the executive producer of The Conversation Weekly.
• Valentina Di Iasio has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No.

• From the group of excellent applicants, the Committee chose Dr. Madhav Yadav from the Department of Nuclear Medicine and Therapeutics at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, India.
• The Maurits W. Geerlings Next Generation Award is an annual prize and is endowed with EUR 5,000.
• Promoting leading Theranostics research, science and innovation is at the core of the ICPO Foundation mission.
• ICPO aims to develop a network of Centers organized in a Social Franchise model based on shared know-how, certified education, and design and process standardization enabling best clinical practice valid globally.