National Aquatic Bioassay Facility (NABF)
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Collaborators Prof. Victor Wepener (NWU-WRG), Prof. Nico J. Smit (NWU-WRG), Dr Tarryn Lee Botha (UNISA), Dr Anja Erasmus (NWU-WRG), and the Zebrafish Interest Group of South Africa Funders National Research Foundation (NRF) South Africa, National Nanotechnology Equipment Programme and the Department of Science and Technology (now the Department of Science and Innovation) |
The Water Research Group in the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management (UESM) at the North-West University (NWU) installed the National Aquatic Bioassay Facility (NABF) in September 2017. Not only is the 515 m2 facility the largest Zebrafish bioassay facility in Africa, but it is also the second largest in the southern hemisphere.
The facility is currently equipped with four Zebrafish multi-linking housing systems, one quarantine standalone system, four toxicity rack systems, a behaviour room (Noldus®) and two amphibian housing systems – each housed in individual temperature-controlled rooms. A functioning marine room was fully installed by the start of 2019, and currently houses various marine fish species used for environmental parasitology assays and supported by Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Town. Furthermore, the NABF houses live feed units containing rotifers and artemia, algae cultures, agar plates housing Caenorhabditis elegans (nematodes), Daphnia magna cultures, Danio rerio (Zebrafish) and Xenopus (Müller’s platanna and African frog). By also integrating Noldus® and Loligo® Systems technology within the facility organisms can be quantitatively studied from the embryo (DanioScope™), larval (DanioVision™) and adult developmental stages.
Since the development of the NABF, researchers from South Africa and all over the world have come together in the form of collaborations and training initiatives. The Zebrafish Interest Group of South Africa also hosted its inaugural meeting within the NABF. During the event, researchers from several different institutions and research backgrounds had the opportunity to present their findings, exchange knowledge and experience, and ask questions about Zebrafish. The accredited short course on Ectotherm Vertebrate Handling and Ethics also takes place within the NABF at the NWU two to four times per year under the guidance of aquatic veterinarian Dr David Huchzermeyer. The NABF is currently maintained by Makolobe (Senior Laboratory Technician) and Bianca (Laboratory Technician) under the guidance of Prof. Victor Wepener.
Last updated: February 2025
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