Biomarker - Lerato Ndlovu
Lerato Ndlovu: PhD student at Africa Health Research Institute, SANTHE fellow, FameLab KZN regional winner, University of Johannesburg Top Achiever. #GirlswithPhDs
Her research: Neutrophils are a type of immune cell that you’ve probably seen. If you’ve ever had an infected cut, the pus (gross) is millions of dead white blood cells, most of these are neutrophils. The cut is infected with bacteria of some sort, and the neutrophils have followed chemical signals released by your body and the bacteria to the cut to try kill the bacteria. They are really amazing cells, they move very quickly (for a cell) and eat (or phagocytose) bacteria and other foreign objects that are in your body.
Lerato studies neutrophils and tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Because neutrophils are quick to respond to bacterial infections, studying them may show if a person is fighting off a TB infection or show if someone is responding well to TB medicines. Lerato studies changes in neutrophil cell markers and neutrophil associated proteins from people on TB treatment. She hopes to find biomarkers, biological signs such as different proteins or small molecules, that can predict how well people respond to TB treatment. The overall goal of her research is to shorten TB therapy to less than 6 months and so help TB patient management and improve TB cure rates.
Her outreach: “I grew up in a rural community with very little exposure to science careers that weren’t engineering or medicine. I discovered my passion for a different kind of science by watching CSI on TV. I stuck with that dream until I actually became a scientist.”
To help others see that science could be their future career, Lerato created a science outreach programme ‘Science-2-Society: Raising future leaders’ that was funded by the African Academy of Sciences. Her project uses theater and play to teach secondary school learners about her research and what it’s like to pursue a career in science. She hopes to continue to make scientific research accessible for all and promote it as a viable career path.
Her Heroes: Prof Faith Osier (also a SuperScientist!), Phangisile Mtshali and Michelle Obama
Her Top Tip: “Don't be afraid to dream big when it comes to your career. Just be aware that the bigger the dream, the harder you have to work to make it your reality.”
What does it take to succeed in science? We asked everyone to rank the following from most important to least: For Lerato it’s creativity first followed by curiosity, hard work, and communication
What else do you need? Be a critical thinker and inquisitive
Her Superpowers!
Flow cytometry: I identify what makes cells unique from each other, how they differ during health and TB disease and I monitor how they change while a person is on TB treatment.
Luminex: I identify and quantify the cytokine (that’s what’s on her wrist broach)/chemokines/soluble factors present in blood that the body makes when infected with TB, how they change during treatment and their association with disease progression or cure.
Functional assays: I test how immune cells characteristics change between healthy and TB infected people and how that relates to treatment outcomes. I look at changes in killing ability (phagocytosis), morphology, or attraction to the diseased area (chemotaxis).
Her scientific strengths: Science communication (see that FameLab finalist and her outreach work)
Connect: Twitter @PrittLNM
In isiZulu
ULerato Ndlovu: Ungumfundi we-PhD e-Africa Health Research Institute, umlingani we-SANTHE, owine i-FameLab KZN esifundeni, i-University of Johannesburg Top Achiever. #Amantombazane anePhD
Ucwaningo wakhe: Ama-neutrophils awuhlobo lwengqamuzana lokuzivikela komzimba okungenzeka ulibonile. Uma uke wasikeka ngegciwane, ubomvu (obukhulu) buyizigidi zamangqamuzana amhlophe egazi afile, amaningi awo ama-neutrophils. Ukusikwa kutheleleke ngamagciwane ohlobo oluthile, futhi ama-neutrophils alandele izimpawu zamakhemikhali ezikhishwe umzimba wakho kanye namabhaktheriya esikiwe ukuze azame ukubulala amagciwane. Amangqamuzana amangalisayo ngempela, ahamba ngokushesha kakhulu (ngeseli) futhi adle (noma i-phagocytose) amagciwane nezinye izinto zangaphandle ezisemzimbeni wakho.
ULerato ufunda ngama-neutrophils nesifo sofuba. Isifo sofuba sibangelwa igciwane iMycobacterium tuberculosis. Ngenxa yokuthi ama-neutrophils ayashesha ukusabela ezifweni ezibangelwa amagciwane, ukuwatadisha kungase kubonise ukuthi umuntu ulwa nokutheleleka kwe-TB noma kubonise ukuthi othile usabela kahle yini emithini ye-TB. Ucwaningo lwe-Lerato luyashintsha kumaka wamaseli we-neutrophil kanye namaprotheni ahlobene ne-neutrophil avela kubantu abathola ukwelashwa kwe-TB. Uthemba ukuthi uzothola ama-biomarker, izimpawu zezinto eziphilayo ezifana namaprotheni ahlukene noma ama-molecule amancane, angabikezela ukuthi abantu basabela kahle kangakanani ekwelashweni kwe-TB. Umgomo ophelele wocwaningo lwakhe uwukufinyeza ukwelashwa kwe-TB kube ngaphansi kwezinyanga eziyisi-6 kanjalo nokusiza ukuphatha isiguli se-TB nokwenza ngcono amazinga okwelapha i-TB.
Ukufinyelela kwakhe: “Ngakhulela emphakathini wasemaphandleni ongenalwazi olutheni emisebenzini yesayensi eyayingeyona ezobunjiniyela noma yezokwelapha. Ngathola uthando lwami lohlobo oluhlukile lwesayensi ngokubuka i-CSI ku-TV. Ngahlala nalelo phupho ngaze ngaba usosayensi.”
Ukuze asize abanye babone ukuthi isayensi ingaba umsebenzi wabo wesikhathi esizayo, uLerato wakha uhlelo lokufinyelela isayensi ‘lweSayensi-2-Umphakathi: Ukukhulisa abaholi bakusasa’ olwaluxhaswe yi-African Academy of Sciences. Iphrojekthi yakhe isebenzisa ithiyetha kanye nemidlalo ukuze afundise abafundi besikole samabanga aphezulu mayelana nocwaningo lwakhe nokuthi kunjani ukuphishekela umsebenzi wesayensi. Uthemba ukuthi uzoqhubeka nokwenza ucwaningo lwesayensi lufinyeleleke kubo bonke futhi alukhuthaze njengendlela esebenzayo yomsebenzi.
Amaqhawe Akhe: UProf Faith Osier (ophinde abe yiSuperScientist!), Phangisile Mtshali noMichelle Obama
Icebiso Lakhe Eliphezulu: “Ungesabi ukuphupha kakhulu uma kuziwa emsebenzini wakho. Qaphela nje ukuthi uma iphupho lilikhulu, kulapho kufanele usebenze kanzima ukuze ulenze libe ngokoqobo.”
Yini edingekayo ukuze uphumelele kwisayensi? Sicele wonke umuntu ukuthi alinganise lokhu okulandelayo kusukela kokubaluleke kakhulu kuye kokuncane: KuLerato kuwubuciko kuqala kulandelwe ilukuluku, ukusebenza kanzima, nokuxhumana.
Yini enye oyidingayo? Yiba ngumuntu ocabangisisayo futhi othanda ukwazi
Amandla Akhe Amakhulu!
I-Flow cytometry: Ngiyabona ukuthi yini eyenza amangqamuzana ahluke kwamanye, ukuthi ahluke kanjani ngesikhathi sempilo kanye nesifo se-TB futhi ngiqapha ukuthi ashintsha kanjani lapho umuntu eselashwa i-TB.
I-Luminex: Ngiyabona futhi ngilinganisela i-cytokine (yilokho okusesihlakaleni sakhe)/ama-chemokines/izinto ezincibilikayo ezikhona egazini ezenziwa umzimba uma ungenwe i-TB, ukuthi zishintsha kanjani ngesikhathi sokwelashwa kanye nokuhlotshaniswa kwazo nokuqhubeka kwesifo noma ukwelashwa.
Izivivinyo ezisebenzayo: Ngihlola ukuthi izici zamaseli omzimba zishintsha kanjani phakathi kwabantu abanempilo kanye nabangenwe yi-TB nokuthi lokho kuhlobana kanjani nemiphumela yokwelashwa. Ngibheka izinguquko emandleni okubulala (phagocytosis), i-morphology, noma ukukhangwa endaweni enesifo (i-chemotaxis).
Amandla akhe esayensi: Ukuxhumana kwesayensi (bona lowo owagcina eFameLab nomsebenzi wakhe wokuxhumana nabantu)
Xhuma: Twitter @PrittLNM