Brain Function Research Group

Register to listen to Peter speak on painful diabetic neuropathy - 22 April at 17:00.

https://royalsocietysa.org.za/rsvp-22-april-2026/

Abstract: South Africa has the fourth highest number of people living with diabetes mellitus in sub-Saharan Africa, and the prevalence is growing. In his presentation, Peter Kamerman will talk about the most common neurological complication of diabetes, distal symmetrical polyneuropathy. This condition affects the ability of about half of the people with diabetes to feel sensations, particularly in the feet, which can have devastating consequences. Moreover, about thirty to fifty percent of those affected also develop intractable neuropathic (nerve) pain, but we do not know who will develop pain, how much pain they will experience, and how they will respond to treatment.

About the Speaker: Peter Kamerman is a professor in the Department of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He undertook his PhD training in thermoregulation and fever, but shifted his focus to studying pain in people living with HIV shortly after completing his degree. Since then, he has led an active research programme in the field of pain, with his research currently focuses on the epidemiology of pain, pain and itch in keloid scars, and painful diabetic neuropathy. Peter's expertise has enabled him to make significant contributions to the development of local and international guidelines for the management, diagnosis, grading, and phenotyping of neuropathic pain.

Date: Wednesday 22nd April 2026
Time: 17h00

register: https://royalsocietysa.org.za/rsvp-22-april-2026/

ALL WELCOME - PLEASE FORWARD TO COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS

Article on recent collaborative research conducted between our pain lab (through Peter) and the UCT team.

Chronic pain linked to disability in SA A new UCT-led research study provides a clear picture of how pain affects South Africans’ daily life and functioning.

Congratulations to Dhuriya Cajee on the submission of her MSc dissertation on "The experiences of individuals living with neuropathic pain: systematic review and meta-ethnography". She was supervised by Peter Kamerman.

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Nature paper for Ned and Ash!!! 👏🎉

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Wishing everyone all the best for 2026!

lf you are in the area, please join us on Thursday (22 Jan) for a welcome tea in the RH room at 10:00! Alumni and friends welcome too.

On that note, we are also pleased to have Marié Landsberg, a second-year PhD student, helping out this year as a part-time research officer. She will be assisting with BFRG social event planning, research activities, and admin. Be sure to say hi and reach out if you have any questions or ideas.

In memory of Nad Brain, a former PhD student, whose pioneering work is still relevant today. He was the first of several veterinarians to complete a PhD within our Group. Article by Duncan Mitchell and Carole Roberts.

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