• Ph.D. (Pharmaceutical Science) 2002, University of Manchester (U.K)

• MSc. (Biotechnology and Molecular Biology)1998, University of Hull (U.K)

• BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences 1996, University of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)

• Treatment and diagnosis of communicable and non-communicable diseases including malaria, cancer and intracellular infections

• Preclinical evaluation of novel anti-malaria treatments, synthetic and extracts from medicinal plants

• Molecular surveillance of drug resistance markers

• Signaling pathways as potential drug targets

• Targeted and controlled-release drug delivery systems

• Applied genetics
• Virology

Dr. Mumbengegwi’s alma mater is Fletcher High School in Gweru, Zimbabwe where he did his A-levels before studying for an honors degree at the University of Zimbabwe majoring in microbiology and genetics. He then proceeded to do an MSc in Biotechnology and molecular biology at the University of Hull in the U.K where he graduated at the top of his class. He received a scholarship from DERA, U.K to carry out his doctoral studies at the University of Manchester School of Pharmacy which included training from Porton Down microbiologists.

Following completion of his PhD, Dr Mumbengegwi was a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Alberta, department of pharmacology in Edmonton, Canada. He was subsequently took up a research fellowship at the University of Iowa in the department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Carver college of medicine. He is currently the lead bio-molecular researcher in the Research, Innovation and Value Addition Division (RIVD) of the Multidisciplinary Research Centre at the University of Namibia. He is also the Programme leader of the Pharmaceuticals programme and is responsible for the management of the Malaria Research Laboratory.

Pharmaceuticals Research Programme leader, ongoing projects include:

• the evaluation of novel synthetic compounds for anti-malarial activity

• the evaluation Of medicinal plants used by traditional healers for potential use as complementary medicine for treatment malaria

• the evaluation of indigenous plant species as potential sources of antimalaria products

• the molecular surveillance for drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Namibia

Recent Professional Activities

• Member of Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) Biomedical Research Ethics Committee: Received training from Centre for Disease Control on Human research ethics

• Member of MoHSS National Cancer Control Policy Steering Committee

• Member of MoHSS Writing team for Global Fund RCC Malaria proposal 

• Member of Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Fisheries (MAWF) Indigenous Plant Task Team (IPTT)

• Member of UNAM Institutional Review Board

• Member of UNAM Technical Working Group on development of a curriculum and competency framework for the degree of Bachelor of Pharmacy

• Member of UNAM MRC Research and Publications Review Committee

• Member of UNAM MRC Website Committee

• Represent the MRC on the Faculty of Science Board

• Reviewer for Namibia Development Journal

• Management of Malaria Research Laboratory

• Former member American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

• Former member American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)

• Former member Steering Committee on Postdoctoral Training (SCOPT) of the ASCB

• Former member Congressional Liaison Committee (CLC) of the ASCB

• Former member Controlled Release Society

Mumbengegwi DR, Li Q, Li C, Bear CE and Engelhardt JF. (2008) Evidence for a Superoxide Permeability  Pathway in Endosomal Membranes

Molecular and Cellular Biology 28 (11) p3700 – 3712

COVER ARTICLE

Pastorino F, Mumbengegwi  DR., Ribatti D, Ponzoni M, Allen TM. (2008) Increase of therapeutic effects by treating melanoma with targeted combinations of c-myc antisense and doxorubicin.

Journal of Controlled Release 126 (1): 85-94

Allen TM, Mumbengegwi DR, Charrois GJ. (2005) Anti-CD19-targeted liposomal doxorubicin improves the therapeutic efficacy in murine B-cell lymphoma and ameliorates the toxicity of liposomes with varying drug release rates.

Clin Cancer Res. 11(9): 3567-73.

Laginha K, Mumbengegwi D, Allen T. (2005) Liposomes targeted via two different antibodies: assay, B-cell binding and cytotoxicity.

Biochima et Biophys Acta. 1711(1): 25-32