The Regulator - Upasana Ramphal
Upasana Ramphal: PhD candidate at University of KwaZulu-Natal based at KRISP, SANTHE Fellow, CAPRISA Fellow.
Her Research: People say your DNA, your genome, is like a book of instructions on how to make your cells and body. If so, then the levels of expression of different genes and what makes one cell a hair cell while another becomes a blood vessel, is how you read that book aloud and bring it to life, speaking LOUDLY, softly, SHOUTING!! or skipping lines altogether. All of your cells have the same DNA or genes, so it’s really the expression of genes that matters. It’s a fascinating subject.
One of the ways to control, or regulate, gene expression is through modifying DNA, it’s the same genetic code but other molecules can be attached to DNA and it changes expression levels. Upasana is studying methylation of DNA, and how this affects HIV disease.
She is using a form of CRISPR-Cas9, which is a very cool tool for biomedical research. CrispR-Cas9 allows scientists to edit DNA. It’s revolutionary, will likely lead to a Nobel Prize, and brings up all sorts of ethical questions. What it can do is go to a specific sequence in the genome and replace that code with a different code. Upasana, is using CRISPRi which uses an inactive form of Cas9 so that it doesn’t replace the DNA but it can be used to modify the DNA using special chemicals.
She wants to understand what the role of methylation is on HIV in general , and specifically in two genes CCR5 and BST2. HIV attaches to CCR5 to infect cells and BST2 helps HIV bud out from infected cells to go to others. Upasana is able to look at blood samples from people who have donated their blood as part of medical studies over the past 12 years. She can see that methylation levels change in these two genes and others. The next question is can she change the methylation levels of those genes and does that affect HIV. This can be done in the lab on cells. #crispr #Epigenetics #therapeutics #genes #gene-editing #generegulation
Her Heroes: Children! As a female scientist, creation of a better and highly sustainable environment for young children is definitely a priority for Upasana. Children are the world’s future scientists and leaders. They are the purest form of innocence, love and curiosity, and she aims to guide and enable her little heroes in preserving our future generations and to see them succeed in becoming empowering adults.
Her Top Tip: Believe you can and you will. Work hard, play hard and pay it forward!
Her ranked attributes: Curiosity, communication, creativity & hard work.
What else do you need to succeed in science? Self-confidence, determination, patience, persistence, ambition and gratitude
Her Strengths: Quality and regulations, collaborations, attention to detail, good documentation practices - she keeps a wicked lab notebook, hardworking, technical and industrial experience, and curiosity – there is so much to learn!
Her Superpowers:
1) Gene Editing - CRISPR is an exciting gene editing technique that is a powerful tool in the lab and could even be used to change the DNA of living people (like we said lots of ethical questions)
2) Epi-genetics - Epi-genetics is looking beyond the genetic code. There are different things that effect whether a gene is expressed or not, methylation, acetylation, where the a gene is within a chromosome and more.
3) Cell culturing – The ability to grow and maintain different types of cells out of the human body
4) Sequencing - Looking closer at DNA and establishing host gene associations with a broad range of diseases
5) EWAS – specific methylation sites or islands are found to regulate gene expression and these levels have been associated with disease outcomes with large population groups
Connect: Instagram: @upasanar_16; Linkedin: Upasana Ramphal; Facebook:Upasana Ramphal
In isiZulu
Upasana Ramphal: Ikhandidethi ye-PhD eNyuvesi yaKwaZulu-Natali ezinze e-KRISP, umfoka-SANTHE, umfoka-CAPRISA.
Ucwaningo Lwakhe: Abantu bathi i-DNA yakho, i-genome, ifana nencwadi yeziqondiso zendlela yokwenza amangqamuzana nomzimba wakho. Uma kunjalo, khona-ke amazinga okuvezwa kwezakhi zofuzo ezihlukene nokuthi yini eyenza ingqamuzana elilodwa libe ingqamuzana loboya kuyilapho elinye liphenduka umthambo wegazi, indlela oyifunda ngayo leyo ncwadi ngokuzwakalayo futhi uyenze iphile, ukhulume KAKHULU, ngokuphansi, UMEMEZA!! noma ukweqa imigqa ngokuphelele. Wonke amangqamuzana akho ane-DNA noma izakhi zofuzo ezifanayo, ngakho ukuvezwa kwezakhi zofuzo okubalulekile. Kuyindaba ethokozisayo.
Enye yezindlela zokulawula, noma zokulawula, ukubonakaliswa kofuzo ngokushintsha i-DNA, iyikhodi yofuzo efanayo kodwa amanye ama-molecule angaxhunywa ku-DNA futhi aguqule amazinga okukhuluma. U-Upasana ufunda i-methylation ye-DNA, nokuthi lokhu kusithinta kanjani isifo se-HIV.
Usebenzisa uhlobo lwe-CRISPR-Cas9, okuyithuluzi elipholile kakhulu locwaningo lwe-biomedical. I-CrispR-Cas9 ivumela ososayensi ukuthi bahlele i-DNA. Iguquguqukayo, cishe izoholela kuMklomelo KaNobel, futhi iphakamisa zonke izinhlobo zemibuzo yokuziphatha. Engakwenza ukuya ekulandelaneni okuthile ku-genome bese ibuyisela leyo khodi ngekhodi ehlukile. I-Upasana, isebenzisa i-CRISPRi esebenzisa uhlobo olungasebenzi lwe-Cas9 ukuze ingangeni esikhundleni se-DNA kodwa ingasetshenziswa ukuguqula i-DNA kusetshenziswa amakhemikhali akhethekile.
Ufuna ukuqonda ukuthi iyini indima ye-methylation ku-HIV ngokujwayelekile, futhi ikakhulukazi ezakhini zofuzo ezimbili i-CCR5 ne-BST2. I-HIV inamathela ku-CCR5 ukuze ithelele amaseli futhi i-BST2 isiza i-HIV ukuthi iphume kumaseli angenwe yileli gciwane iye kwabanye. U-Upasana uyakwazi ukubheka amasampula egazi kubantu abanikele ngegazi labo njengengxenye yocwaningo lwezokwelapha kule minyaka engu-12 edlule. Uyabona ukuthi amazinga e-methylation ayashintsha kulezi zakhi zofuzo ezimbili nakwezinye. Umbuzo olandelayo uthi angawashintsha yini amazinga e-methylation alezo zakhi zofuzo futhi lokho kuthinta i-HIV. Lokhu kungenziwa elebhu kumaseli. #crispr #Epigenetics #therapeutics #genes #gene-editing #generegulation
Amaqhawe Akhe: Izingane! Njengososayensi wesifazane, ukudalwa kwendawo engcono futhi esimeme kakhulu yezingane ezincane kuyinto ebaluleke kakhulu e-Upasana. Izingane zingososayensi nabaholi bakusasa bomhlaba. Ziwuhlobo olumsulwa lokungabi nacala, uthando kanye nelukuluku, futhi uhlose ukuqondisa nokwenza amaqhawe akhe amancane ekulondolozeni izizukulwane zethu ezizayo futhi awabone ephumelela ekufukuleni abantu abadala.
Ithiphu Yakhe Ephezulu: Kholwa ukuthi ungakwazi futhi uzokwenza. Sebenza kanzima, udlale ngokuzikhandla futhi ukhokhele phambili!
Izimfanelo zakhe ezisezingeni: ilukuluku, ukuxhumana, ubuhlakani nokuzikhandla.
Yini enye oyidingayo ukuze uphumelele kwisayensi? Ukuzethemba, ukuzimisela, ukubekezela, ukuphikelela, isifiso sokuvelela kanye nokubonga
Amandla Akhe: Ikhwalithi nemithethonqubo, ukusebenzisana, ukunaka imininingwane, izinqubo ezinhle zokubhala imibhalo - ugcina incwadi yaselabhu embi, ukusebenza kanzima, ulwazi lwezobuchwepheshe kanye nezimboni, kanye nelukuluku lokufuna ukwazi - kuningi ongakufunda!
Amandla Akhe Amandla:
1) Ukuhlelwa Kwezakhi Zofuzo - I-CRISPR iyindlela ethokozisayo yokuhlela izakhi zofuzo eyithuluzi elinamandla elebhu futhi engase isetshenziselwe ukushintsha i-DNA yabantu abaphilayo (njengoba sishilo imibuzo eminingi yokuziphatha)
2) I-Epi-genetics - I-Epi-genetics ibheka ngale kwekhodi yofuzo. Kunezinto ezahlukene ezithinta ukuthi isakhi sofuzo siveziwe noma cha, i-methylation, i-acetylation, lapho isakhi sofuzo singaphakathi kwechromosome nokuningi.
3) Ukukhuliswa kwamaseli - Amandla okukhula nokugcina izinhlobo ezahlukene zamaseli ngaphandle komzimba womuntu
4) Ukulandelana - Ukubheka eduze i-DNA nokusungula izinhlangano zofuzo ezihambisana nezinhlobo eziningi zezifo
5) I-EWAS - izindawo ezithile ze-methylation noma iziqhingi zitholakala ukulawula ukubonakaliswa kwezakhi zofuzo futhi lawa mazinga ahlotshaniswa nemiphumela yezifo namaqembu amakhulu abantu.
Xhuma: Instagram: @upasanar_16; Linkedin: Upasana Ramphal; Facebook:Upasana Ramphal