Chimera - Anne Kapaata
Anne Kapaata: PhD candidate Uganda Virus Research Institute-International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (UVRI-IAVI), Entebbe, Uganda, SANTHE fellow, IAVI-VISTA PhD fellow
Her Research: A chimera is a combination of two different things, a dog’s body with a cat’s head (yikes!) for example. For Anne it’s combinations of different HIV viruses. She makes them in the lab to understand which genetic sequences of HIV are most important for virus growth and replication.
Anne’s research is focused on understanding transmitter/founder viruses, the viruses that first infect someone and then quickly replicate to cause disease. Studying two different subtypes of HIV, subtype A and D, Anne makes chimeras of transmitter/founder viruses combining one piece of either A, D or an A/D mix virus with a subtype B backbone. This way she is keeping some parts the same (the B backbone) between her chimeras, and testing specific parts of A and D. She cuts the viral genetic sequence and splices it together - how’s that for a superpower! to make her chimeras. Then she infects cells in the laboratory and assays how well the viruses grow and replicate. By making different chimeras and running different types of assays she can narrow down on what parts of the virus genome matter the most for replication and also find out how different the A,D and A/D subtypes replicate. She’s particularly interested in the gag-pol genes. Gag codes for the protein that gives HIV it’s structure and pol codes for the proteins that allow HIV to integrate it’s genetic material into an infected cell.
Her Heroes: Her parents. Her father has had a big influence on choice of science as a career. He was a laboratory technologist who truly inspired her through his work and publications. His work directly contributed to people’s well being, she aims to do the same.
What characteristics do you need to succeed in science (ranked from most important to least): curiosity, creativity, hard work, and communication
Her Top Tip: Science is a passion that nothing can stop. Nothing is impossible if you have faith and believe in your dream.
Her Superpowers:
1) HIV-1 cloning - DNA/RNA can be cut, pasted, rewritten, it’s amazing what scientists can do!
2) Being able to "zoom in". When she starts something, she does not look to the side but "zooms in" into the problem at hand until she solves it.
Her scientific strengths: Data generation – getting science done! - and analysis
In isiZulu
U-Anne Kapaata: Ikhandidethi le-PhD e-Uganda Virus Research Institute-International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (UVRI-IAVI), Entebbe, Uganda, SANTHE uzakwethu, IAVI-VISTA PhD uzakwethu
Ucwaningo Lwakhe: I-chimera iyinhlanganisela yezinto ezimbili ezihlukene, umzimba wenja onekhanda lekati (yikes!) isibonelo. Ku-Anne iyinhlanganisela yamagciwane e-HIV ahlukene. Ubenza elebhu ukuze baqonde ukuthi yikuphi ukulandelana kofuzo kwe-HIV okubaluleke kakhulu ekukhuleni kwegciwane kanye nokuphindaphinda.
Ucwaningo luka-Anne lugxile ekuqondeni amagciwane adluliselayo/abasunguli, amagciwane aqala ukuthelela umuntu abese ephindaphinda ngokushesha ukuze abangele izifo. Efunda izinhlobo ezimbili ezingaphansi ezihlukene ze-HIV, uhlobo oluncane A no-D, u-Anne wenza ama-chimera amagciwane okudlulisela/abasunguli ahlanganise ingxenye eyodwa ye-A, D noma i-A/D mix virus enomgogodla we-subtype B. Ngale ndlela ugcina izingxenye ezithile zifana (umgogodla ongu-B) phakathi kwama-chimera akhe, futhi uhlola izingxenye ezithile zika-A no-D. Usika ukulandelana kofuzo lwegciwane futhi akuhlanganise ndawonye - kunjani lokho kumandla amakhulu! ukwenza ama-chimera akhe. Ube esethelela amaseli elabhorethri futhi ahlole ukuthi amagciwane akhula kanjani futhi aziphindaphindeka kanjani. Ngokwenza ama-chimera ahlukene nokusebenzisa izinhlobo ezihlukene zokuhlola angakwazi ukwehlisa ukuthi yiziphi izingxenye zegenome yegciwane ezibaluleke kakhulu ekuphindaphindeni futhi athole ukuthi i-A,D kanye ne-A/D subtypes ihluke kanjani. Uthanda ikakhulukazi izakhi zofuzo ze-gag-pol. Amakhodi e-Gag ephrotheni enikeza i-HIV ukwakheka kwayo kanye namakhodi e-pol wamaprotheni avumela i-HIV ukuthi ihlanganise izakhi zofuzo zayo iseli elithelelekile.
Amaqhawe Akhe: Abazali bakhe. Ubaba wakhe ube nethonya elikhulu ekukhetheni isayensi njengomsebenzi. Wayenguchwepheshe waselabhorethri owamkhuthaza ngempela ngomsebenzi wakhe nangezincwadi zakhe. Umsebenzi wakhe ube nomthelela ngqo empilweni yabantu, uhlose ukwenza okufanayo.
Yiziphi izici ozidingayo ukuze uphumelele kusayensi (ezikleliswe kusukela kwezibaluleke kakhulu kuye kwezincane): ilukuluku, ubuhlakani, ukusebenza kanzima, nokuxhumana
Ithiphu Yakhe Ephambili: Isayensi iwuthando okungekho lutho olungakuvimba. Akukho okungenzeki uma unokholo futhi ukholelwa ephusheni lakho.
Amandla Akhe Amandla:
1) I-HIV-1 cloning - I-DNA/RNA ingasikwa, inamekwe, ibhalwe kabusha, kuyamangaza lokho ososayensi abangakwenza!
2) Ukukwazi "ukusondeza". Uma eqala okuthile akabheki eceleni kodwa “usondeza eduze” inkinga ekhona aze ayixazulule.
Amandla akhe kwezesayensi: Ukukhiqiza idatha - ukwenza isayensi yenziwe! - kanye nokuhlaziya