Dr Mapula Razwinani

Dr Mapula Razwinani is a passionate believer in the field of biomedical sciences. Her interest in science was piqued by the HIV pandemic in the years when the disease was at its most rampant. She decided, then, that she wanted to be empowered with the knowledge and expertise to fight this disease. Overcoming significant obstacles — including personal and family crises, Mapula’s ambition, dedication and never-die spirit has led her on the path to becoming a PhD graduate with a passion for finding solutions to healthcare problems.

Dr Razwinani holds a D-Tech in Biomedical technology from the Durban University of Technology and was selected as one of the top 50 young scientists to represent South Africa at the 8th BRICS Young Scientist forum in 2023. Dr Razwinani also won the award for Outstanding Female post-doctoral Fellow at the 1st DUT Envision2030 dialogue series workshop in 2023. Her accolades also include business-oriented awards such as the winner of the best elevator business pitch from the South Africa Technology Network International conference (2018) and winner of the best business plan at the Future Investigators of Regenerative Medicine conference held in Spain in 2018, as well as winner of the Institutional FameLabSA in 2017 at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT).

Dr Razwinani found her passion for research after completing a research methodology course during her first year of university. She was intrigued by the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine using medicinal plants and was compelled to learn more about it and share her learning with everyone.

Mapula was drawn to the field of biomedical science which satisfies her curiosity about the world around her and she enjoys opportunities to apply logical thinking in her exploration of this world. Dr Razwinani reflects that, “While sometimes frustrating, this freedom to explore the living world is what is so exciting about biomedical science.”

Following her passion for the biomedical field, Mapula is currently working to design, formulate and fabricate medicinal plant hydrocolloid bandages to investigate their molecular and cellular wound healing effects on burn injuries. These novel regenerative wound dressings will accelerate both the closing of a wound and the time it takes for a scar to heal.

Envisaging a considerable socioeconomic impact from this project, Dr Razwinani hopes this study will increase awareness around traumatic burn injuries and may eventually reduce the level of suffering and number of deaths associated with these types of injuries. Her research is the first step in the development of cost-saving wound care products in the pharmaceutical realm. This project has the potential to result in employment for many other South African graduates in the field of science.

Like many researchers, Dr Razwinani experienced challenges with project funding and the infrastructure required to complete her studies. This has prompted her move to Pretoria from Durban, where she now has access to the infrastructure required for a cell culture Laboratory and the required instrumentation.

Mapula dreams of one day leading a research team in developing an affordable product for the tissue engineering of wounds, cartilage and bone defects. Her advice to young girls embarking on a career in science is to “… remove the fear that comes with the stigma that says science and technology are hard and such careers can only be done by males”.  She goes on to say, “A career in science is fun and it is a life journey that comes with determination and passion, anyone can do science if they put their mind to it.”

 

 

 

 

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