Times Higher Education ranks UKZN in the Top 400 Page 3

6YOUR MONTHLY CAMPUS NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 9 • NUMBER 9 • SEPTEMBER 2012The first critical minutes, hours when HIV or TB invade the body’s immune system is the focus of a new chapter ofresearch. LIZ CLARKE spoke to a young scientist who is beginning this journey of investigation in Durban.Big guns out in the fightagainst TB and HIV/AIDSLASDAIR Leslie certainlycould be helpful for diagnostics.doesn’t fit the prototypecannot reach.A three dimensional model ofAFACT FILEdescription of the studiousIn part this is responsible for human tissue that would have beenand bespectacled boffin scientisttucked behind a row of petri dishes.A quirky modernist, with asense of fun, he will be part of aclinical and diagnosticinvestigative team taking up aresearch post at the newlyestablished KwaZulu-NatalResearch Institute for TB and HIV(K-RITH).Career change, marriage andtwo young kids stand between himand the last time he lived in Africabut he makes no bones about thefact that he still has a passion forthe stark and expansive landscapeshe fell in love with some years agoas a volunteer teacher.‘When I returned to the UK in2002 with my now wife, Georgie,part of me was left behind inMalawi where I had met so manyunforgettable people. I just hopedthat one day I would have a chanceto come back to Africa and dosomething useful.’But to get back and ‘dosomething useful’ involved quite anunorthodox passage, particularlyas his knowledge emanated from amasters’ degree in agriculture!Born and brought up in theEnglish county of Surrey, hebelieves that exploration,investigation and new challengesare part and parcel of his life.‘So when I returned to Englandonly to find that there were noopenings for me as a scientist in theagriculture sector, I knew it wastime to change direction.’He came across anadvertisement for a laboratoryassistant based at OxfordUniversity studying the immuneresponse to HIV infection.‘It immediately caught my eye.The devastating effects had beenpainfully apparent in Malawi,where high rates of HIV infectionwere compounded by extremepoverty and a lack of health careinfrastructure. I lost several friendsto the disease during my time there.Dendritic cells are among the firstimmune cells to encounter thevirus, and are essential in drivingan effective immune response.However, it is becomingincreasingly apparent that HIV isable to interfere with thisinteraction in ways that impairinitial immune response andallow the pathogens to hide inreservoirs that medicationAlasdair Leslie.At least, I assumed that’s what itwas. It wasn’t really talked about.’Six months after successfullyapplying for the job, Leslie wasoffered a position as a PhD studentexploring the relationship betweenHIV and the body’s host cells, tryingto understand how HIV manages toavoid being wiped out by ourimmune systems.Recently he extended thosestudies to include the tuberculosiscausingbacteria Mycobacteriumtuberculosis (mTB) – a journey thatthe rapid early viral spread anddamage to the immune systemthat is the hallmark of this deadlydisease.The work at K-RITH will bedone in collaboration with DrMattias Svensson from theKarolinska Institute in Swedenand Dr Ben Owens in Oxford, whohave developed the lung and gutmucosal models respectively.has now brought him to Durbanwith his wife and two young sons,Samora and Julius.‘Getting to grips with both thesediseases, not knowing exactly whatwe will find, or what the impact willbe on halting these pandemics –that is the overwhelmingchallenge.’With the support of a five-yearresearch grant from K-RITH,Leslie’s area of interest, togetherwith a team of researchers, will beto try and unbutton the mysteriessurrounding the responses made bythe immune system cells at themoment HIV and TB pathogensenter the body.It’s pretty clear that pathogenslike HIV and mTB have evolvedways of interfering with this initialsignaling, and that allows them tosurvive. But we need to know awhole lot more.” One of the keys tounderstanding the initial diseasebattleground are the Dendriticcells, explains Leslie.‘They are in the front line of fire,responsible for recognising andsignaling the arrival of both HIVand TB. Once we have built up aclearer picture of the key proteinsinvolved in this recognition processand pin down some of the ways inwhich the invading pathogens areable to modify this interaction totheir benefit, we should have someuseful data.’Knowledge gained, he says,could reveal new targets forpotential drugs, vaccines, orbiological markers of disease thata far-fetched snippet of sciencefiction a few years ago, will soonplay an important role in thisunfolding medical story.Explaining the process, Lesliesays that thanks to recent advances,it is possible to culture varioustypes of human lung or gut cells ina lab dish and “coax them toorganise themselves into structuresthat are virtually indistinguishablefrom the natural tissues.”What does this mean?‘It means that by introducingcells from infected patients into thetissue models we can observe howHIV severely damages the gutmucosa, a process that has beenvery difficult to study in humans.‘We’ve always had to rely on animaltissue or single cells grown in alaboratory, which behave verydifferently.’Leslie also plans to use thistechnique to investigate theformation and maintenance of TBgranulomas. These are the clustersof infected and uninfected cells thatform in the lungs of patients astheir immune systems attempt towall off the TB pathogen.‘Granulomas are a hallmark ofTB infection, yet whether theirformation favours the host or thepathogen, we don’t really know.’The techniques, he says, don’trequire extremely high-techequipment.‘You need the expertise – we’vegot that – and you need access topatient samples – which we have inSouth Africa, and you need anenvironment that is 100 percentfocused on driving the scienceforward – and that is what K-RITHis. It’s exactly the kind of researchthat should be happening in thispart of the world where the effectsof TB and HIV are so keenly felt.”‘Always the ultimate aim is toprovide data that will be useful inthe fight against these terriblediseases. I hope to be part of thatincredible journey’.Healthy CornerTHIS is the first in a series ofcolumns on health issues to assistreaders to take proper care of theirbodies. September was NationalHeart Awareness Month so in thisinaugural column the focus is onthat most vital organ: The Heart.Heart diseaseHeart disease refers to severaltypes of heart conditions includingcoronary artery disease, angina,heart failure and arrhythmias.CausesSome medical conditions as wellas lifestyle factors can put people athigher risk of getting heart disease.The most important of these arehigh blood pressure, high bloodcholesterol, cigarette smoking,diabetes and obesity.Signs and SymptomsThe five major signs thatsomeone is having a heart attackare:• Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neckor back• Feeling weak, light-headed or faint• Chest pain or discomfort• Pain or discomfort in arms orshoulder• Shortness of breath.If you think that someone ishaving a heart attack, you shouldcall emergency servicesimmediately.PreventionYou can prevent heart disease byliving a healthy lifestyle:• Eat a healthy diet. Be sure to eatplenty of fruits and vegetables.Eating foods low in saturated fatand cholesterol and high in fibrecan help prevent high bloodcholesterol. Limiting salt of sodiumin your diet can lower your bloodpressure;• Maintain a healthy weight. Beingoverweight or obese can increaseyour risk for heart disease;• Exercise regularly. Physical activitycan help you maintain a healthyweight and lower cholesterol andblood pressure;• Do not smoke. Smoking greatlyincreases your risk for heart disease;• Limit alcohol use. Avoid drinkingtoo much alcohol. It causes highblood pressure.TreatmentThe treatment for heart diseasedepends on the kind of heart diseaseyou have and how serious it is. Yourhealthcare provider will be able toassist you. – www.doh.co.zaLUNGA MEMELATHERE is a growing need for SouthAfrican researchers in the field offorensic anatomy, says UKZNalumnus and internationallyacclaimed Specialist ForensicPathologist, Dr Shereen Akoojee.Akoojee, hosted by the School ofLaboratory Medicine and MedicalSciences, was speaking at a journalclub meeting of the Discipline ofClinical Anatomy (DOCA).She outlined foetus and younginfant medico-legal cases whichwere often related to illegaltermination of pregnancy,abandoned babies and baby theft inthe country.Currently attached to thecountry’s Independent MedicoLegal Unit (IMLU) – a Street Lawproject established to facilitateaccess to justice through thedevelopment of a democraticforensic service ethos in SouthAfrica - Akoojee serves as a forensicconsultant, trainer and researcher.Akoojee said the medicalapplication of forensic anatomyForensic anatomy research in South AfricaDr Shereen Akoojee (centre) was warmly received by the Discipline ofClinical Anatomy’s Professor Mohamed Haffajee and Dr Okpara Azu.was relevant in understandingcongenital and geneticabnormalities. She said forensicanatomy positioned the medicolegalfraternity as experts inidentifying gestational aging - theage of a foetus or new-born infant.Akoojee’s keen and specificinterest in forensic anatomy andphysical anthropology has seen heractively involved in the facilitationand development of training andskills development programmes inClinical Forensic Medicine andForensic Pathology for legalpractitioners and health careprofessionals involved in theadministration of justice.Akoojee was previously theChief Specialist for ForensicServices and Bioethics in theKwaZulu-Natal Department ofHealth as well as the Inspector ofAnatomy for the province.The purpose of Akoojee’spresentation was to help identifypossible studies and stimulatefurther discussion that wouldgenerate research opportunitiesand topics in forensic anatomy. It isenvisaged that such an outcomewould assist in establishingstandards that are relevant andapplicable in the South Africancontext. Participants showedkeenness to form a forensicanatomy research interest group.Akoojee said prospective studiescould establish and verify existingdata in South Africa, compare localdata in respect of the variousfactors used to establish thegestational age of a foetus, andresearchers could conductpopulation specific studies andexplore ethical issues in the SouthAfrican context.The journal club also listened toDr Edwin Naidu and Dr AdeyinkaAlabi, both Masters and Doctoralcandidates respectively, whopresented stimulating researchwhich is pending.Dr Okpara Azu, Senior Lecturerin the Discipline said they wouldexpand their research, teachingand learning. ‘We intend to achievethis by inviting more esteemedindividuals, companies andinstitutions to come in and sharenew ideas/developments fromaround the world.’