Eliminator - Faith Osier
Professor Faith Osier: Professor of Malaria Immunology KEMRI –Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany; Visiting Professor of Malaria Immunology in the Nuffield Dept of Medicine, University of Oxford; United Nations Together Band Ambassador (SDG3); TED Fellow; President of the International Union of Immunological Societies.
Her Research: With a team of more than 25 scientists in both Kenya and Germany, Faith’s research spans a wide variety of subjects all related to malaria and malaria immunology. The goal is to develop a vaccine against malaria, eliminate malaria, and stop one of the worst illnesses the world has ever known. Malaria is caused by a single-cell parasite in the genus Plasmodium, the most dangerous is Plasmodium falciparum. The parasite infects a person through a mosquito bite, and once in a person’s body it replicates inside red blood cells causing them to burst, leading to fevers, aches, and sometimes much worse. Each year malaria kills around 400,000 people, most of them young children, and sickens millions. The vast majority of the cases are in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thankfully people who are exposed to malaria a number of times can develop resistance through their immune system and this immunity is what Faith and her team want to understand and use to develop a vaccine.
Among other techniques, Faith’s team uses advances in biomedical science that allow them to study hundreds of proteins at once. They have developed a glass “chip” that has hundreds of malaria proteins laid out as tiny dots, this is called a microarray. They can then flow a blood sample of someone who has immunity against malaria to see what malaria proteins are targets of the immune system. They have found over 200 proteins! These proteins may be future vaccine candidates.
Watch Faith talk about her team’s work at TED, the Falling Walls Conference or University of Oxford and see Faith’s scientific publications at PubMed.
Her Heroes: “Naledi Pandor, for her commitment to strengthening female research leaders; Professor Kevin Marsh, for his commitment to building research capacity in Africa; Professor Souleymane Mboup for inspiring a generation by building a wonderful African institution IRESSEF”
Her Top Tip: “Science is a very rewarding career in many ways - embrace it whole-heartedly.”
What do you need to succeed in science beyond hard work, creativity, communication and curiosity? Determination and Passion!
Her Superpowers: The ability to pluck out a single antibody among the millions floating around in someone’s body that bind to specific malaria proteins, laser focused science communication - super clear and engaging see above, and Faith in the impossible!
Scientific strengths: Grant writing, scientific presentations, science communication, training and capacity building, collaboration, networking and through her leadership, uniting people with a common vision.
Her Character: Eliminator wants to Eliminate Malaria! She is wearing earrings modeled after the the merozoite stage of the malaria parasite, and is showing her commitment the Sustainable Development Goals through her TogetherBand and Gates Foundation Goalkeeper Broach. What SDGs speak to you?
Words to live by: Enjoy life! It’s not a rehearsal :)
Connect: Twittter @FaithOsier
In isiZulu
USolwazi Faith Osier: USolwazi we-Malaria Immunology KEMRI –Wellcome Trust Research Programme, eKenya kanye naseHeidelberg University Hospital, eJalimane; UProfesa Ovakashelayo We-Malaria Immunology kuMnyango Wezokwelapha waseNuffield, eNyuvesi yase-Oxford; Inxusa Leqembu LeZizwe Ezihlangene (SDG3); TED Fellow; Umongameli Wenyunyana Yamazwe Ngamazwe Yezinhlangano Zezimmunological.
Ucwaningo Lwakhe: Nethimba lososayensi abangaphezu kuka-25 eKenya naseJalimane, ucwaningo lukaFaith luhlanganisa izihloko ezihlukahlukene eziphathelene nomalaleveva kanye ne-immunology ye-malaria. Umgomo uwukwakha umuthi wokugomela umalaleveva, ukuqeda umalaleveva, futhi kunqandwe esinye sezifo ezimbi kakhulu ezake zaba khona emhlabeni. Umalaleveva ubangelwa i-parasite eneseli elilodwa kuhlobo lwe-Plasmodium, eyingozi kakhulu i-Plasmodium falciparum. I-parasite ingena kumuntu ngokulunywa umiyane, futhi uma isemzimbeni womuntu iphindaphindeka ngaphakathi kwamangqamuzana abomvu egazi abangele ukuthi aqhume, okuholela ekubeni imfiva, izinhlungu, futhi ngezinye izikhathi zibe zimbi nakakhulu. Unyaka ngamunye umalaleveva ubulala abantu abangaba ngu-400 000, iningi labo okungabantwana abancane, futhi ugulisa izigidi. Iningi lamacala atholakala e-Sub-Saharan Africa. Ngokujabulisayo abantu abachayeka kumalaleveva izikhathi ezimbalwa bangakwazi ukumelana nesimiso sokuzivikela komzimba futhi lokhu kuzivikela komzimba yikho uFaith nethimba lakhe abafuna ukukuqonda futhi bakusebenzise ukwenza umgomo.
Phakathi kwamanye amasu, ithimba likaFaith lisebenzisa intuthuko kwisayensi ye-biomedical ebavumela ukuthi bafunde amakhulukhulu amaprotheni ngesikhathi esisodwa. Bakhe “i-chip” yengilazi enamakhulukhulu amaprotheni kamalaleveva abekwe njengamachashaza amancane, lokhu kubizwa ngokuthi i-microarray. Bangakwazi-ke ukugeleza isampula yegazi lomuntu ongagonyelwe nomalaleveva ukuze abone ukuthi yiziphi amaprotheni kamalaleveva ayizisulu zesistimu yokuzivikela ezifweni. Sebethole amaprotheni angaphezu kuka-200! Lawa maprotheni angase abe amakhandidethi wokugoma wesikhathi esizayo.
Buka uFaith ekhuluma ngomsebenzi weqembu lakhe e-TED, i-Falling Walls Conference noma i-University of Oxford futhi ubone izincwadi zesayensi zikaFaith e-PubMed.
Amaqhawe Akhe: “UNaledi Pandor, ngokuzinikela kwakhe ekuqiniseni abaholi besifazane abenza ucwaningo; USolwazi Kevin Marsh, ngokuzibophezela kwakhe ekwakheni amandla ocwaningo e-Afrika; USolwazi Souleymane Mboup ngokugqugquzela isizukulwane ngokwakha isikhungo esihle sase-Afrika i-IRESSEF”
Ithiphu Yakhe Ephambili: “Isayensi iwumsebenzi ovuza kakhulu ngezindlela eziningi - wamukele ngenhliziyo yonke.”
Yini oyidingayo ukuze uphumelele kwisayensi ngaphandle kokusebenza kanzima, ubuhlakani, ukuxhumana kanye nelukuluku? Ukuzimisela kanye Nomdlandla!
Amandla Akhe Amandla Amakhulu: Ikhono lokukhipha i-antibody eyodwa phakathi kwezigidi ezintantayo emzimbeni womuntu ohlanganisa amaprotheni athile kamalaleveva, ukuxhumana kwesayensi okugxile kwi-laser - kucace kakhulu futhi kuyaheha bheka ngenhla, kanye Nokholo kokungenakwenzeka!
Amandla esayensi: Ukubhalwa kwezibonelelo, izethulo zesayensi, ukuxhumana kwesayensi, ukuqeqeshwa kanye nokwakhiwa kwamakhono, ukubambisana, inethiwekhi nangobuholi bakhe, ukuhlanganisa abantu abanombono ofanayo.
Isimilo Sakhe: Umuntu Oqeda Umalaleveva ufuna Ukuqeda Umalaleveva! Ufake amacici afanekiselwa isigaba se-merozoite se-malaria, futhi ubonisa ukuzibophezela kwakhe Izinjongo Zokuthuthukiswa Okusimeme nge-TogetherBand yakhe kanye ne-Gates Foundation Goalkeeper Broach. Yimaphi ama-SDG akhuluma nawe?
Amagama okumele uphile ngawo: Jabulela impilo! Akuyona impinda :)
Xhuma: Twitter @FaithOsier