Investigating Deuteration as a Strategy to Valorise African-Derived Natural Products and Medicinal Compounds

This project explores how deuteration - replacing certain hydrogen atoms in molecules with atoms of its heavier isotope, deuterium, can make natural medicines/products from Africa more stable and effective. Deuteration strengthens chemical bonds, helping drugs resist breakdown in the body without changing how they work. Although the method is widely used in modern pharmaceuticals and functional materials, it has not yet been applied to African traditional medicines or natural products, many of which degrade quickly during storage or use. Indeed, deuteration has rarely been used for drug discovery or development in Africa, including South Africa, despite its benefits. During my STIAS fellowship, i will identify unstable African compounds that could benefit from deuteration, design possible chemical modifications involving the incorporation of deuterium, and review deuteration-related research across Africa to better understand advances made with and barriers to using this chemistry more widely. The project will also connect scientists across the continent to build a collaborative network. Ultimately, this work aims to give new life to discarded or unstable natural products, strengthening Africa’s role in global drug discovery and boosting its medical and pharmaceutical economy.