Meet Team BioCODE
BioCODE develop point-of-care smart sensing solutions that detect novel circulating inflammatory molecules in the blood. These molecules are present during the very early stages of disease. BioCODE, a spinout company of Stellenbosch University, is developing a sensor that can detect novel circulating inflammatory molecules in the blood.
The directors of BioCODE are Prof Resia Pretorius, head of Stellenbosch University's Physiological Sciences Department in the Faculty of Science (Managing Director), Prof Anna-Mart Engelbrecht and Prof Willie Perold. Together with Este Burger and Simoné Turner, the team pride themselves that they are the first company to receive funding from the newly formed University Technology Fund (UTF) for developing their rapid inflammation biosensor. Innovus Technology Transfer has been working very closely with the team and supported them to protect their intellectual property, set up the company, enter into partnerships, raising funding etc.
Resia Pretorius: always seeing the positive side of things
Resia Pretorius, a distinguished physiologist at Stellenbosch University, researcher, full professor, and Head of the Department of Physiological Sciences in the Faculty of Science, is also the managing director and one of the founding directors of BioCODE, a spinout company of SU Enterprises. Resia believes the best entrepreneurial quality that she brings to her BioCODE team is that she never gets distracted. “I always see the positive side of a difficult situation.
She is motivated by discovering new things in the lab that could positively impact a patient’s health.
If Resia had all the power in the world to fix one problem, she would choose access to early diagnosis and accessible healthcare for all.
Positivity, listening to experts before you who have walked the road and endurance to never give up are the three qualities, she believes any entrepreneur should have. Read Resia’s full bio here. (link:
https://www.resiapretorius.net/)
Anna-Mart Engelbrecht: Loving new ideas
BioCODE director Anna-Mart Engelbrecht is a professor in the Department of Physiological Sciences at Stellenbosch University. Among other prestigious awards she has received the Rector’s award for Excellence in Research, the Vice-Rector’s Research Award for exceptional achievement from Stellenbosch University, as well as the Lasec Award for Excellence in Physiology Research from the Physiological Society of Southern Africa.
Anna-Mart says she love new ideas and bringing people together from different environments to solve problems and believe this is her contribution to the BioCODE team. She is motivated by providing an enabling environment for young people to discover their strengths, finding their passion, and living their dreams.
If she could fix anything in the world, she would fix the problem of unemployment, says Anna-Mart. Work gives people dignity and if your work is also your passion, you cultivate life long learning, which will have far reaching effects, not only on the economy but also on emotional and physical well being.
She believes every entrepreneur should have the qualities of strategic thinking, risk-taking ability, and passion.
Este Burger: A passionate and agile learning
A very passionate member of the BioCODE team is Este Burger, a graduate of Stellenbosch University. She completed her Masters degree in Electronic Engineering at SU, focusing on biosensor development. Este is the operations and product development lead for BioCODE.
“I am an agile learner. I don’t give up easily, and I have a passion for creative problem-solving,” is how Este describes her contribution to Team BioCODE. She is motivated by her goal to be part of disruptive innovations that empower people to manage their own health.
Therefore, it is no surprise that if she had the means to fix anything in this world, it would be to enable access to high-quality, empowering education for all.
She believes an entrepreneur should have perseverance, an appetite for failure, and an eye for the core underlying needs of people and society.
Simoné Turner: always the optimist
Simoné Turner is the latest addition to Team BioCODE and joined the company as lead research and development scientist.
She says her best entrepreneurial quality is staying optimistic in difficult situations and press even harder towards reaching the goal.
Simoné says she gets motivated by the ability to do groundbreaking and cutting-edge research that makes a difference in patient health. “Therefore, if I had the power to fix one problem in the world, it would be to lift the burden of chronic illnesses for patients and health care facilities.”
“I believe any entrepreneur should have persistence, excellent problem-solving skills, and the humility to ask for help,” says Simoné.
