Scientific Publications
Chemistry as a Catalyst for Transforming the Health and Wealth of South Africa
Clinton G. L. Veale*, John G. Woodland*, Kathryn J. Wicht and Kelly Chibale, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2025. DOI: doi/10.1002/anie.202419681 (*These authors contributed equally to this work)
Another decade of antimalarial drug discovery: New targets, tools and molecules
John G. Woodland*, André Horatscheck*, Candice Soares de Melo*, Godwin A. Dziwornu and Dale Taylor, Progress in Medicinal Chemistry, Volume 63, 2024, ISSN 0079-6468. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/bs.pmch.2024.08.001 (*These authors contributed equally to this work)
Announcing the Early Career Board of ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters
Aleksandra Baranczak, Simone V. Bigi-Botterill, Chiara Borsari, Amanda W. Dombrowski, Michelle A. Estrada, Mark P. Farrell, Andrew P. Riley, John G. Woodland, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2024, 15 (9), 1403–1406. DOI: doi.org/10.1021/acsmedchemlett.4c00294
Ongoing Implementation and Prospective Validation of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Tools at an African Drug Discovery Centre (Published as part of a virtual special issue entitled 'Exploring the Use of AI/ML Technologies in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery)
Jason Hlozek, Kelly Chibale and John G. Woodland, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2024, 15 (7), 989–993. DOI: doi.org/10.1021/acsmedchemlett.4c00243
In This Issue, Volume 15, Issue 6
John G. Woodland, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2024, 15 (6), 746–747. DOI: doi.org/10.1021/acsmedchemlett.4c00224
Editorial: Tips for Getting Your Manuscript Accepted into ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters
John G. Woodland and Kelly Chibale, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2024, 15 (3), 316–317. DOI: doi.org/10.1021/acsmedchemlett.4c00059
Drug discovery in Africa tackles zoonotic and related infections
Christabel N. Hikaambo*, Natalia Shakela*, John G. Woodland, Kathryn J. Wicht and Kelly Chibale, Science Translational Medicine, 2023, 15 (718). DOI: doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.adj0035
Bright New World: Principles of Fluorescence and Applications and Spectroscopy and Microscopy
John G. Woodland, Chapter 5 in Biomedical Visualization (Vol. 2): Microscopy Techniques for Biomedical Education and Healthcare Practice, L. Shapiro (ed.), Springer Nature, 2023. DOI: doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36850-9_5
First fully-automated AI/ML virtual screening cascade implemented at a drug discovery centre in Africa
Gemma Turon, Jason Hlozek, John G. Woodland, Ankur Kumar, Kelly Chibale and Miquel Duran-Frigola, Nature Communications, 2023, 14, 5736. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41512-2
The 2022 H3D Symposium: Celebrating over a Decade of African-Led Infectious Disease Drug Discovery to Enhance Global Health
John G. Woodland, Gregory S. Basarab, Koketso Mogwera, Susan Winks and Kelly Chibale, ACS Infectious Diseases, 2023, 9, 389–393. DOI: doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00041
First fully-automated AI/ML virtual screening cascade implemented at a drug discovery centre in Africa
Gemma Turon, Jason Hlozek, John G. Woodland, Kelly Chibale and Miquel Duran-Frigola, bioRxiv, 2022. DOI: doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.13.520154
Fostering drug discovery and development in Africa
Susan Winks, John G. Woodland, Goonaseelan 'Colin' Pillay and Kelly Chibale, Nature Medicine, 2022, 28, 1523–1526. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-01885-1
Insightful comment in @NatureMedicine by Susan Winks, @jgwoodland, @colpil & @Kelly_Chibale telling the success story of @H3D_UCT, the leading drug discovery and development centre in Africa. Plenty of (brave) strategic takeaways https://t.co/XUHCoNDagx
— Miquel Duran Frigola (@mduranfrigola) July 17, 2022
Godfrey Mayoka*, John G. Woodland* and Kelly Chibale, Trends in Parasitology, 2022, 38, 719–721. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2022.07.001
(*These authors contributed equally to this work)
Drs Godfrey Mayoka @jgwoodland & @Kelly_Chibale highlight Alexandra Gould @LeannTilley & colleagues’ recent @ScienceMagazine paper in this Spotlight: Thwarting protein synthesis leads to malaria parasite paralysis. @UCT_news @H3D_UCT @DiscoverJKUAT https://t.co/4vRM9zis2T pic.twitter.com/miGXEXsrQc
— Trends in Parasitology (@TrendsParasitol) July 15, 2022
John G. Woodland and Kelly Chibale, Nature Chemistry, 2022, 14, 112. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41557-021-00872-2
Just published with @Kelly_Chibale, a brief yet chequered biography of nature's most eminent alkaloid. From antimalarial to prized analyte, raise your next G&T to this remarkable molecule, #quinine □□□ Thks @NatureChemistry for the invitation! @H3D_UCT https://t.co/sRkCY4x8lX
— John Woodland (@jgwoodland) January 14, 2022
Plasmodium Kinase Inhibitors as Potential Multistage Active Antimalarials
John G. Woodland and Kelly Chibale, Chapter 12 in 2021 Medicinal Chemistry Reviews (Volume 56), American Chemical Society (Medicinal Chemistry Division), 2021. ISSN 2575-9175. DOI: doi.org/10.29200/acsmedchemrev-v56.ch12
Editorial (Virtual Issue): "Medicinal Chemistry Out of Africa"
Kelly Chibale, Kathryn J. Wicht and John G. Woodland, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2021, 64, 10513–10516. DOI: doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01183
Identification and profiling of a novel diazaspiro[3.4]octane chemical series active against multiple stages of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and optimization efforts
Claire Le Manach, Jean Dam, John G. Woodland, Gurminder Kaur, Lutete P. Khonde, Christel Brunschwig, Mathew Njoroge, Kathryn J. Wicht, André Horatscheck, Tanya Paquet, Grant A. Boyle, Liezl Gibhard, Dale Taylor, Nina Lawrence, Tomas Yeo, Sachel Mok, Richard T. Eastman, Dorjbal Dorjsuren, Daniel C. Talley, Hui Guo, Anton Simeonov, Janette Reader, Mariette van der Watt, Erica Erlank, Nelius Venter, Jacek W. Zawada, Ayesha Aswat, Luisa Nardini, Theresa L. Coetzer, Sonja B. Lauterbach, Belinda C. Bezuidenhout, Anjo Theron, Dalu Mancama, Lizette L. Koekemoer, Lyn-Marie Birkholtz, Sergio Wittlin, Michael Delves, Sabine Ottilie, Elizabeth A. Winzeler, Thomas W. von Geldern, Dennis Smith, David A. Fidock, Leslie J. Street, Gregory S. Basarab, James Duffy and Kelly Chibale, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2021, 64, 2291–2309. DOI: doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00034
2019
Reciprocal modulation of antiretroviral drug and steroid receptor function in vitro
Sigcinile Dlamini, Michael Kuipa, Kim Enfield, Salndave B. Skosana, John G. Woodland, Johnson Mosoko Moliki, Alexis J. Bick, Zephne van der Spuy, Michelle F. Maritz, Chanel Avenant and Janet P. Hapgood, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2019, 64, e01890. DOI: doi.org/10.1128/AAC.01890-19
Differential metabolism of clinically-relevant progestogens in cell lines and tissue: Implications for biological mechanisms
Salndave B. Skosana, John G. Woodland, Meghan Cartwright, Kim Enfield, Maleshigo Komane, Renate Louw-du Toit, Zephne van der Spuy, Chanel Avenant, Donita Africander, Karl-Heinz Storbeck and Janet P. Hapgood, Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2019, 189, 145–153. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2019.02.010
2018
Chemical proteomics and super-resolution imaging reveal that chloroquine interacts with Plasmodium falciparum multidrug resistance-associated protein and lipids
John G. Woodland, Roger Hunter, Peter J. Smith and Timothy J. Egan, ACS Chemical Biology, 2018, 13, 2939–2948. DOI: doi.org/10.1021/acschembio.8b00583
See also the "Introducing our Authors" feature in this issue of the journal.
71 years on, chloroquine is still revealing its secrets: this classic antimalarial associates with membranes while affinity studies expose binding to drug transporter PfMRP1 in the latest from @jgwoodland, et al @UCT_news #TeachingOldDrugsNewTricks https://t.co/53sN1sLTHQ
— ACS Chemical Biology (@ChemicalBiology) October 9, 2018
Michelle F. Maritz, Roslyn M. Ray, Alexis J. Bick, Michele Tomasicchio, John G. Woodland, Yashini Govender, Chanel Avenant and Janet P. Hapgood, PLOS ONE, 2018, 13(4), e0196043. DOI: doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0196043
2017
Shining new light on ancient drugs: Preparation and subcellular localisation of novel fluorescent analogues of Cinchona alkaloids in intraerythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum
John G. Woodland, Roger Hunter, Peter J. Smith and Timothy J. Egan, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 2017, 15, 589–597. DOI: doi.org/10.1039/C6OB02110G
This article was featured on the cover of "Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry" (see below) and was identified as a "2017 Hot Article in Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry". It has also subsequently been included in the #RSCPoster Twitter Conference themed collection.
2013
“Fluorescent Sensors for Haem”
T. J. Egan, R. Hunter and J. G. Woodland
Provisional Patent Application SA 2013/05171
Conference Presentations
- 2020: Royal Society of Chemistry Twitter Poster Conference (poster presentation)
- 2020: "Advancing Microscopy Frontiers in Africa" Imaging Africa Symposium, University of Cape Town (poster presentation) – Poster Prize
- 2019: "Malaria Research: Crossing Boundaries" international symposium, Stellenbosch University (oral presentation)
- 2019: Royal Society of Chemistry Twitter Poster Conference (poster presentation)
- 2017: Royal Society of Chemistry Twitter Poster Conference (poster presentation)
- 2016: South African Spectroscopy Society (SASS) Young Spectroscopists’ Symposium, Johannesburg (oral presentation)
- 2015: "Seeing is Believing – Imaging the Processes of Life" EMBL Symposium, Heidelberg, Germany (poster presentation)
- 2015: Single-Molecule Spectroscopy and Microscopy: Faraday Discussion, London, United Kingdom (poster and flash oral presentations)
- 2015: South African Chemical Institute Inorganic Chemistry Conference, Rhodes University (poster and flash oral presentations)
- 2015: Postgraduate Research Expo, University of Cape Town (poster presentation) – First Prize (Science Faculty Category)
- 2015: South African Spectroscopy Society (SASS) Young Spectroscopists’ Symposium, Stellenbosch University (oral presentation) – National Winner
- 2014: SACI-ACS Binational Organic Chemistry Conference, Stellenbosch University (poster and flash oral presentation) – First Prize (Flash Oral Category)
- 2013: SACI Young Chemists’ Symposium, Stellenbosch University (poster presentation) – Best Poster Prize
- 2013: International Conference on Bioinorganic Chemistry, Grenoble, France (poster presentation)
- 2012: H3D Symposium "New Paradigms in Drug Discovery", Newlands, Cape Town (poster presentation)
- 2011: SACI Young Chemists’ Symposium, University of the Western Cape (poster presentation) – Best Poster Prize
Shining new light on ancient drugs: Localisation of novel fluorescent analogues of Cinchona alkaloids in Plasmodium #RSCPoster #RSCChemBio pic.twitter.com/z2DfFlP1aL
— John Woodland (@jgwoodland) March 20, 2017