?Prof Soraya Bardien from the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 (SU) delivered her inaugural lecture on Thursday 28 August 2025. The title of her lecture was “My journey with genes, genetics and inherited disorders".
Bardien, who also heads the Parkinson's Disease (PD) Research Group in SU's Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, spoke to the Corporate Communication and Marketing Division about her work on the genetic causes of PD and how this could help to develop improved drug therapies.
Tell us more about your research and why you became interested in this specific field.
My research focuses on the neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson's disease. Globally, over 25 million people are projected to be living with PD in 2050. The main contributors to this increasing prevalence are population ageing and population growth. This increase in the number of cases is expected to also occur in Africa.
Parkinson's disease has a genetic component and my research group investigates its genetic causes in South Africans. The other area of research is studying curcumin (a component of turmeric), which is a powerful antioxidant, as a possible therapy to prevent or halt neuronal loss in PD.
I became interested in this field as I find it fascinating to study the human brain. Genetic studies may shed light on the pathways involved in maintaining a healthy brain, and when dysregulated, can lead to disease. Also, PD is a terrible disease that affects many different aspects of people's lives, including their mobility, mood and behaviour. The hope is that collectively, we as a global PD genetics community can work together to identify the causes of PD that may eventually lead to the development of improved drug therapies.
How would you describe the relevance of your work?
We are the only group in South Africa that studies the genetics of PD. In fact, we are the only research group in sub-Saharan Africa that does this type of research, involving genetics, functional and therapeutic studies on PD. Our work is important as we provide the South African and African perspective to the field.
Why does it matter to shed light on the genetic causes of Parkinson's disease in South Africans?
From a genetics perspective, our population is unique. In fact, the global consortium that we are part of had to alter its data analysis pipelines to handle the novel genetic architecture and diversity observed in our population.
Genetic findings are important and necessary for the eventual application of precision medicine to the field. Precision medicine is an approach to patient care that takes into account a person's genetic variation, environment and lifestyle to more efficiently treat a disease. For example, instead of treating someone with the 'general' medicine, they will be treated based on the pathway or protein that is known to be defective in them. In principle, this should lead to better outcomes and fewer adverse effects. This approach is already being applied to the treatment of certain cancers, and although we are not there yet for the treatment of neurological disorders, I do think that is where the field is heading.
What have been some of the most rewarding highlights of your work on Parkinson's disease?
From our genetics studies, we have found that we do not typically identify the PD-causing variants found in European and Asian populations. Or if we do find those variants, they are quite rare. Given the unique genetic diversity in South Africa, this was not unexpected. But it does point to as-yet-undiscovered variants in different genes as the causes for PD in our population. Recently, our work highlighted a genetic susceptibility factor for PD in our population that appears to be more common in African populations.
Also, our work on curcumin has produced some interesting findings. Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant, but it has poor bioavailability (how much of a substance — like a nutrient or medicine — the body can actually use), which limits its clinical use. We found that if we package curcumin in nanoparticles (as a drug carrier), it can protect cells from neurotoxin-induced cell death. This is still a long way from promoting curcumin as a treatment, but these promising results suggest we are heading in the right direction.
Looking into your crystal ball, what developments do you see in Parkinson's disease research?
Our research group is a member of a global consortium known as the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2). To my knowledge, GP2 is one of the few large-scale global consortia to tackle the genetic causes of a disorder. I believe that GP2 is set to make important genetic discoveries in the not-too-distant future. These findings may shed light on the pathways that lead to the death of neurons in PD — this is needed for the design of better neuroprotective therapies. We need to identify people most at risk of developing PD and stop or prevent their neuronal death before it starts. Alarmingly, 50–80% of dopamine-producing neurons are lost before the motor symptoms develop and the disorder is diagnosed. This is too late, as once neurons die, they never grow back.
You have spent many years in the challenging environment of higher education. What keeps you motivated when things get tough?
My cats! I also try to go on hikes in the mountains and especially in the Wilderness. One of my favourites is the Cederberg Mountains, as I have many fond memories of challenging hikes we have done there. Sadly, going on these multi-day hikes has become less common as the workload and responsibilities have increased. Nature has a remarkable way of relieving stress and offering a fresh perspective on our problems. Also, I have to mention my husband Mark, who is an excellent sounding board, especially when I need to vent!
Tell us something exciting about yourself that people would not expect.
I like watching horror movies — not the gory and gruesome ones, but rather the psychological ones that linger in your mind long after the movie.
How do you spend your free time?
Going hiking, watching TV and going on long drives. I also love gardening and spending time with family and friends, especially out in nature.
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