The Tailor - Monkgomotsi Maseng
Monkgomotsi Maseng: Masters student at University of Botswana and the Botswana Harvard AIDS Partnership, in the lab of Dr. Giacomo Paganotti, SANTHE fellow
Her Research: Usually when people take a medicine that has been tested and approved, it does what it is supposed to do, but sometimes the medicine leads to to side effects or is processed in your body in such a way that it makes the medicine not strong enough. How your body processes and reacts to a medicine is based on your genes. Your genes code for the proteins that make all of the different things happen in your body and in some people, it affects how medicines work.
Monkgomotis studies how people respond to the HIV antivirals Nevirapine and Efaverinz (the two molecules on her suit). Differences in a protein called Cytochrome P450 can be the difference between one of these medicines working well, keeping HIV from replicating in the body, to causing toxicities. Monkgomotsi is looking at how differences in the gene that codes for Cytochrome P450 change the response to these medicines and how personalised, or tailored medicine could be used to look a person’s genetic sequence before they are given a medicine.
Her Heroes: My parents, they taught me the importance of education and prayer. Two other people that inspire me are Dr Robert Gross and Dr Giacomo Paganotti
Her Top Tip: Dreams do come true...work hard and focus!
What does it take to succeed in science? We asked everyone to rank the following from most important to least: Monki thinks curiosity is number one follwed by hard work, communication, and creativity
What else do you need? Paying attention to details, patience
Her Superpowers! Genotyping- being able to read and categorize genetic sequences. Identical twins look exactly the same, and for the most part there genetic code is the same, but even they can have differences that come up as mutations. Genotyping is figuring out those differences through reading the genetic code.
Her scientific strengths: With years of experience in industry, lab work is a real strength as is teaching.
In isiZulu
Monkgomotsi Maseng: Ungumfundi weMasters eNyuvesi yaseBotswana kanye neBotswana Harvard AIDS Partnership, elebhu kaDkt. Giacomo Paganotti, umlingani we-SANTHE
Ucwaningo Lwakhe: Imvamisa uma abantu bethatha umuthi osuhloliwe wagunyazwa, wenza lokho okufanele ukwenze, kodwa kwesinye isikhathi umuthi uholela emiphumeleni emibi noma ugaywe emzimbeni wakho ngendlela yokuthi umuthi ungangeni. uqine ngokwanele. Indlela umzimba wakho osebenza ngayo futhi osabela ngayo emuthini kusekelwe kufuzo lwakho. Ikhodi yakho yofuzo yamaprotheni enza zonke izinto ezahlukene zenzeke emzimbeni wakho futhi kwabanye abantu, ithinta indlela imithi esebenza ngayo.
UMonkgomotis ufunda ukuthi abantu basabela kanjani kuma-antiviral we-HIV i-Nevirapine ne-Efaverinnz (ama-molecule amabili esudi yakhe). Umehluko kuphrotheni ebizwa ngokuthi i-Cytochrome P450 ungaba umehluko phakathi komunye wale mithi esebenza kahle, ogcina i-HIV ingaphindaphindeki emzimbeni, ibangele ubuthi. U-Monkgomotsi ubheka ukuthi umehluko kufuzo olufaka ikhodi ye-Cytochrome P450 lushintsha kanjani impendulo kule mithi nokuthi umuthi owenziwe umuntu uqobo, noma olungiselelwe ungasetshenziswa kanjani ukuze kubhekwe ukulandelana kofuzo lomuntu ngaphambi kokuba anikezwe umuthi.
Amaqhawe Akhe: Abazali bami, bangifundise ukubaluleka kwemfundo nomthandazo. Abanye abantu ababili abangikhuthazayo uDkt Robert Gross kanye noDkt Giacomo Paganotti
Ithiphu Lakhe Eliphezulu: Amaphupho ayafezeka...sebenza kanzima futhi ugxile!
Yini edingekayo ukuze uphumelele kwisayensi? Sicele wonke umuntu ukuthi aklelise okulandelayo kusukela kokubaluleke kakhulu kuye kokuncane: UMonki ucabanga ukuthi ilukuluku lihamba phambili kulandelwa ukusebenza kanzima, ukuxhumana, kanye nokusungula.
Yini enye oyidingayo? Ukunaka imininingwane, ukubekezela
Amandla Akhe Amakhulu! I-Genotyping- ukwazi ukufunda nokuhlukanisa ukulandelana kofuzo. Amawele afanayo abukeka afana ncamashi, futhi ingxenye enkulu kukhona ikhodi yofuzo efanayo, kodwa ngisho nawo angaba nomehluko ovela njengokuguqulwa kwezakhi zofuzo. I-Genotyping ithola lowo mehluko ngokufunda ikhodi yofuzo.
Amandla akhe esayensi: Ngesipiliyoni seminyaka embonini, umsebenzi walebhu ungamandla angempela njengokufundisa.