Niche areas and related research projects include:

• Formulation and novel drug delivery systems
• Anti-cancer and antimicrobial agents from medicinal plants
• Microbiology, applied microbiology, medicinal plant research, ethnopharmacology, phytochemicals and cytotoxicity
• Medicinal chemistry and isolation of bioactive compounds with medicinal properties against tuberculosis, cancer and malaria.
•  Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Substance Abuse, Mental Health, Herbal medicine
• Pharmacovigilance of prescribed and non-prescribed medicines
• Evaluation of the use of antiretroviral therapy in public primary health care settings
•  Indigenous knowledge systems in healthcare, complementary and traditional medicine use in combination with prescribed medicines
•  Community pharmacy practice research services in rural areas
• Pharmacoepidiomology/drug utilization studies
• Natural products chemistry and medicinal plants research

The Pharmacy Department is also renovating its pharmaceutical sterile laboratory. Going forward, research interests will include Radiopharmacy with emphasis to dosage form design and transdermal drug delivery. Also, the Department has research collaboration with other universities including amongst others Rhodes University, North-West University, Tshwane University of Technology, University of Zimbabwe  and VLIR [Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad (Flemish Interuniversity Council)]/ Belgium  for pharmaceutics-related projects.