Prof. Yasien Sayed

Professor Yasien Sayed is a biochemist and structural biologist at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a Professor in the School of Molecular and Cell Biology and serves as the Director of the Protein Structure-Function Research Laboratory (PSFRL).

Professor Sayed obtained both his BSc (Honours) and PhD degrees in biochemistry from Wits University, where he built a strong foundation in protein biochemistry and molecular biology. His research focuses on the structural and functional analysis of viral proteins, with a particular emphasis on viral proteases. He has published extensively in the area of HIV-1 protease from the South African subtype C strain, which accounts for over 95% of HIV infections in the country.

Professor Sayed’s group achieved a landmark milestone by solving the three-dimensional X-ray crystal structure of the South African HIV-1 subtype C protease – a global first. His research addresses the urgent issue of antiretroviral drug resistance in second-line therapies, investigating how mutations in the gag and protease coding regions drive resistance to protease inhibitors.

Professor Sayed’s expertise spans protein biochemistry, structural biology, biophysics, and computational biology. He integrates experimental and computational methods to understand protein-ligand interactions and how these will help inform rational drug design.

Through his scientific leadership, mentorship, and research excellence, Professor Sayed strives to advance structural biology and biochemistry in South Africa.