SideScatter - Maphe Mthembu
Maphe Mthembu: Immunology PhD student at the Africa Health Research Institute and University of KwaZulu-Natal, SANTHE Fellow (Sub-Saharan Africa Network for TB/HIV Research Excellence).
Maphe's work: Why are HIV+ people more likely to get tuberculosis (TB)? Even when on antiretrovirals, the chance that they will contract TB is higher. How are the immune systems of HIV infected people different from non-infected? What can we learn about these immune system differences that could lead to therapeutics?
To help answer these big questions, Maphe works on a team which asks HIV+ and HIV- patients to generously provide cells that they can study. Blood samples are taken as well as cells from inside the lungs. To get these cells, a pulmonologist inserts a tube into the patient and the lungs are washed with a fluid and out come the cells they will study.
To do science on the cells, they are centrifuged, washed and then incubated with different antibodies that have fluorescent molecules attached. The antibodies will bind to different types of cells. She then puts them into a flow cytometer (video) which uses lasers to analyse and separate the cells based on size, complexity and what antibodies are attached. She uses this data to compare different patients and conditions. She can also look at what genes are being used in the different patients and cells. The expression of genes, or gene transcription can even be measured in individual cells!
Her Top Tip: The sky’s the limit, dream big, go after what you want and feel strong about it. Know that hard work can beat smarts and that taking shortcuts only cheats yourself.
Her Heroes: Her parents. Growing up in rural KZN, near Mtubatuba, Maphe is 11th of 12 children. That is amazing in and of itself, but her dad’s parents died when he was quite young and he had to care for his sisters. Her parents have always been family focused and done so much for Maphe and her siblings.
Superpowers: The ability to pull a single cell out a person and study it and the genes it expresses. She uses flow cytometry and single-cell transcriptomics
Superpowers to do science: Building relationships with patients, engaging the community she has lived and worked in, and communicating to people why this science is so important and what it all means are big strengths and something Maphe really enjoys.
SideScatter Name: When cells are flowing through a flow cytometer, lasers shine on them and the light bounces off, scattering. How much the light scatters forward shows the size of the cell. The amount of light scattered to the side shows how internally complex the cell is.
In isiZulu
UMaphe Mthembu: Ungumfundi we-PhD ye-Immunology e-Africa Health Research Institute kanye naseNyuvesi yaKwaZulu-Natali, i-SANTHE Fellow (i-Sub-Saharan Africa Network for TB/HIV Research Excellence).
Umsebenzi kaMaphe: Kungani abantu abane-HIV+ besengozini yokuba nesifo sofuba (TB)? Ngisho nalapho besebenzisa izidambisigciwane, amathuba okuthi bathole i-TB makhulu. Amasosha omzimba abantu abane-HIV ahluke kanjani kwabangatheleleki? Yini esingayifunda ngalo mehluko wamasosha omzimba ongaholela ekwelapheni?
Ukusiza ukuphendula le mibuzo emikhulu, uMaphe usebenzisana nethimba elicela i-HIV+ kanye neziguli ezine-HIV ukuthi zinikeze ngokukhululekile amangqamuzana ezingawacwaninga. Kuthathwa amasampula egazi kanye namaseli angaphakathi emaphashini. Ukuze athole la maseli, udokotela wamaphaphu ufaka ishubhu esigulini bese amaphaphu ewashwa ngoketshezi bese kuphuma amaseli azowafunda.
Ukwenza isayensi kumaseli, afakwa i-centrifuged, agezwe bese efakwa amasosha omzimba ahlukene anama-molecule e-fluorescent anamathiselwe. Amasosha omzimba azobophezela ezinhlotsheni ezahlukene zamaseli. Ube esewafaka ku-flow cytometer (ividiyo) esebenzisa ama-laser ukuze ahlaziye futhi ahlukanise amaseli ngokusekelwe kusayizi, ubunzima kanye nokuthi yimaphi amasosha omzimba anamathiselwe. Usebenzisa le datha ukuze aqhathanise iziguli nezimo ezihlukahlukene. Angabheka nokuthi yiziphi izakhi zofuzo ezisetshenziswa ezigulini namaseli ahlukene. Ukubonakaliswa kwezakhi zofuzo, noma ukulotshwa kofuzo kungalinganiswa ngamaseli ngamanye!
Ithiphu Lakhe Eliphezulu: Isibhakabhaka singumkhawulo, phuphe kakhulu, landela okufunayo futhi uzizwe unamandla ngakho. Yazi ukuthi ukusebenza kanzima kungabahlula abahlakaniphile nokuthi ukuthatha izinqamuleli kuzikhohlisa wena kuphela.
Amaqhawe Akhe: Abazali bakhe. Ukhulele emaphandleni e-KZN, ngaseMtubatuba, uMaphe ungowe-11 ezinganeni eziyi-12. Kuyamangaza lokho ngokwakho, kodwa abazali bakababa wakhe bashona esemncane futhi kwadingeka anakekele odadewabo. Abazali bakhe bebelokhu begxile emndenini futhi benza okuningi kuMaphe nezingane zakubo.
Amandla Amandla: Ikhono lokukhipha ingqamuzana elilodwa kumuntu futhi alifunde kanye nofuzo eliluvezayo. Usebenzisa i-flow cytometry kanye ne-single-cell transcriptomics
Amandla amakhulu okwenza isayensi: Ukwakha ubudlelwano neziguli, ukubandakanya umphakathi ahlala futhi asebenza kuwo, kanye nokuxhumana nabantu ukuthi kungani le sayensi ibaluleke kangaka nokuthi kusho ukuthini amandla amakhulu futhi into uMaphe ayijabulela kakhulu.
Igama lika-SideScatter : Uma amaseli egeleza ku-cytometer egeleza, ama-lasers akhanya kuwo futhi ukukhanya kuyacisha, kuhlakazeke. Ukuthi ukukhanya kuhlakazeka kangakanani kuye kubonisa ubukhulu beseli. Inani lokukhanya okuhlakazeke ohlangothini libonisa ukuthi iseli liyinkimbinkimbi kanjani ngaphakathi.