[:en]Meet Miss Yolandi Swart, a doctoral candidate within the TB Host Genetics Research Group at the Stellenbosch University’s Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
In celebration of Youth Month 2020, the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics is paying tribute to young researchers within our institute. We share heart-warming stories of our students whose lives give us great hope for the future of South Africa. We thank these students for volunteering to tell us a little about themselves and their research.
Tell us briefly about your background?
I grew up in Pretoria and completed my BSc in biological sciences, as well as BSc(Hons) in Genetics at Stellenbosch University. I continued my studies at the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health in Sciences, Stellenbosch University and was fortunate to upgrade my MSc to a PhD in 2019. I am currently completing my PhD studies.
Why did you choose your field of study – what or who inspired you? Is this what you envisioned for yourself growing up?
I was initially enrolled for B.Com Actuarial Sciences in my first year, since I was very fond of mathematics and statistics. I still however had a big interest in biology and decided to convert to B.Sc Human life sciences in 2014. Genetics immediately caught my attention, since there was a statistical component to it and I decided to pursue genetics and completed my Honours in genetics in 2017. I was also part of a clinical trial at the age of 12 and new insulin was tested on me. This manifested a deep interest in me to conduct research and somehow I knew I would end up in a research environment contributing to health and medicine.
What is your research focus on?
My research focusses on conducting genomic data analysis on admixed populations of African origin who are affected by both tuberculosis (TB) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in order to identify genetic regions associated with TB-T2D comorbidity. Current software and algorithms used in genomic data analysis are not transferable to highly complex admixed genomes, such as that seen in Africa. People from Africa harbours the most genetic diversity compared to other populations worldwide. Due to the history and migration routes of the Bantu expansion and slave trade, most populations from Africa have admixed genomes, consisting of a mosaic pattern of two or more non-intermating ancestral populations. Therefore, my research focusses on correctly incorporating local ancestry (similar as to painting the genome to identify which ancestry is present at every position in the genome) in statistical analysis.
How can your research help to improve Africa and/or the lives of its people?
Making genomic data analysis transferable to admixed African populations, will enable robust and accurate identification of genomic regions associated with disease phenotypes, such as TB, T2D and TB-T2D comorbidity. This will provide a framework to understand the genetic variability in admixed populations from Africa. It will also serve as a genetic toolbox which can be used by other researchers to conduct genetic data analysis on other highly admixed populations associated with other communicable and non-communicable diseases. Genetic variants could be identified and used for personalised medicine specifically designed for African populations, that would otherwise not be applicable to other populations globally. Treatment strategies could be improved for the most vulnerable populations based on the genetics of admixed African populations and subsequently relieve the burden of health-related costs, as well as improve quality of life. Since treatment strategies designed based on European ancestral contributions will not necessarily work in admixed individuals of African origin.
What obstacles did you have to overcome to get where you are today?
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (auto-immune disease) at the age of 9 and I need to inject myself with insulin approximately 6 times a day. This had an immense impact on my everyday life and I need to monitor my blood glucose levels carefully on a daily basis. I always thought this will be a disadvantage in my life, but it made me more sympathetic towards people living with chronic diseases and those individuals who don’t have the same resources to treat chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes. This also made me realise that children with type 1 diabetes in poorer communities might not get the adequate healthcare as they should be and can be difficult to follow a healthy lifestyle in such circumstances. Therefore, I would like to use my experiences living with a chronic disease to improve healthcare and research in South Africa.
If you could invite any three researchers (alive or dead; local or international) to a dinner party, who would you pick and why?
Rosalind Franklin. She was a British biophysicist who studied DNA. Her data was critical to Francis crick and James Watson who won the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine for their 1953 determination of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). But she didn’t get any recognition for her contribution towards this discovery due to being female.
Mary Jackson. She was an American mathematician and aerospace engineer, and became NASA’s first African-American female engineer.
What is your favourite quote/saying?
“Once you stop learning, you start dying” – Albert Einstein
Any advice for young people who are considering a career in STEM?
My advice would be to get a daily routine which works for you and consistently work on your research every day. It worked for me to set out a five day work week and take weekends off so I can still enjoy the things I like to do without feeling guilty for not working. This is vital for my mental health and regaining my energy to continue working on my research project. All the little efforts each day adds up in the end, even if you only sorted the structure of your thesis.
What do you hope to achieve in the future?
I would like to conduct research in the future on autoimmune diseases and rare diseases affecting children at a young age in resource-restricted environments. I would also like to make a mark as a female scientist in bioinformatics, which are often dominated by male scientists.
Link to my latest research article entitled: “Prospective avenues for human population genomics and disease mapping in southern Africa” – http://rdcu.be/b4k2i[:de]Meet Miss Christina (Tina) Meiring, a doctoral candidate within the Animal TB and TB Host Genetics Research Groups at the Stellenbosch University’s Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
In celebration of Youth Month 2020, the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics is paying tribute to young researchers within our institute. We share heart-warming stories of our students whose lives give us great hope for the future of South Africa. We thank these students for volunteering to tell us a little about themselves and their research.
Tell us briefly about your background?
I’m 24 years old and was born in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. I grew up in a small town, Kirkwood, a few kilometres from PE. My dad is a citrus farmer in Kirkwood and my mom also works on the farm – she keeps everything running. It was absolutely fantastic to grow up on a farm, I loved it. My twin sister and I often go back to visit. We both did BSc, BSc honours and BSc Master’s degrees (not the same) at Stellenbosch University. We are very close, we do everything together. It was a little challenging to study different things initially, but it worked out really well. We both love what we’re doing. I’m very close with my parents as well, they are a fantastic support system.
Why did you choose your field of study – what or who inspired you? Is this what you envisioned for yourself growing up?
I’ve always had an interest in wildlife and conservation. Since I grew up on a farm, I was frequently exposed to wildlife species in different habitats. I’ve also always been fascinated with genetic research. When I discovered that Stellenbosch offered a program where I could combine my interests, I knew that this would be a great journey and that made me decide to choose this field of study. It wasn’t exactly what I envisioned for myself, my interests constantly changed when I was growing up and I wasn’t always aware of all the possibilities. As I was studying and my field became more specialized and specific, it got me where I am now.
What is your research focus on?
My research focuses on investigating the genomic diversity in a population of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) from Kruger National Park to aid in the optimization of the current wild dog conservation management strategies. The genomic information generated from this research could then be used to work towards understanding their susceptibility or resistance to diseases (such as Mycobacterium bovis infection) and other threats, and developing tools to identify genetic factors conferring adaptive advantages. I started with this research in January of 2018 for my MSc and I am continuing with it in my PhD.
How can your research help to improve Africa and/or the lives of its people?
The information generated from my research will be used to optimize conservation strategies which will ultimately increase the chances of their long-term survival in the future. African wild dogs are important predators and the loss of this species could lead to decreased biodiversity in key protected areas, therefore it will impact the biodiversity in South Africa. My research will also increase the awareness of the status of the endangered African wild dogs.
What obstacles did you have to overcome to get where you are today?
Throughout my life, I have been compared to my twin sister. It was expected that we should excel in the same things and that wasn’t always the case. It was hard to have the confidence to pursue anything independently, but it definitely made me a better-rounded researcher.
If you could invite any three researchers (alive or dead; local or international) to a dinner party, who would you pick and why?
Sir David Attenborough, because of his substantial contribution to the awareness of climate change and the importance of conservation; and Valery Legasov, as I have a fascination with the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident and he played a crucial role (as a scientist) in mitigating the consequences of the disaster and figuring out how it happened.
What is your favourite quote/saying?
I have a few:
“Every time we ponder a thought, act on impulse, or dwell on a desire, we are setting in motion a cause that will have a future effect. Mindfulness enables us to choose wisely” – Tamara Levitt
If you can’t be kind, be quiet (not sure who came up with this)
“Step back, allow things to unfold. There’s a beauty to be found in letting things be” – Tamara Levitt
“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods; there is a rapture on the lonely shore; there is a society, where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not man the less, but Nature more…” – Lord Byron
Any advice for young people who are considering a career in STEM?
Always pursue your passion. STEM fields are diverse, challenging, and offer a wide variety of opportunities. You will definitely end up with an exciting career and will have a high level of personal and job satisfaction. It’s not an easy career to pursue, but it will be well worth it. My advice is to never give up and to obtain an education in the STEM field as soon as possible, when you’re still young and full of energy.
What do you hope to achieve in the future?
I hope to obtain my PhD in 2021. I hope to generate valuable information regarding the genetics of endangered species, such as the wild dog, to be implemented in conservation management decisions. In the future, I hope to be able to do this for multiple wildlife species. Additionally, I hope to be part of the conservation management group from the South African National Parks in the future. I hope I also get the opportunity to present my research to other scientists in the world. I had the chance to present my work at a conference in Manchester, UK at the Molecular Biology and Evolution conference, which was a fantastic experience. It will be great to get another opportunity like that.[:]