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U word hiermee vriendelik uitgenooi na die vierde Stellenbosch Forum lesing vir die jaar.

Die Stellenbosch Forum lesingreeks het sy ontstaan gehad in 1990 en bied sedertdien aan personeel en studente aan die US, sowel as belangstellendes vanuit die publiek, gereelde geleenthede om meer te leer oor relevante, wêreldklas navorsing wat aan die US gedoen word. Navorsers word by hierdie geleentheid versoek om hulle akademiese navorsingsonderwerpe op so 'n manier aan te bied dat dit verstaanbaar is vir nie-deskundiges op die gebied. Dit bied dus die ideale geleentheid vir kritiese debat en interessante besprekings oor dissiplinêre grense heen.

By hierdie geleentheid sal Prof Gerhard Walzl, Departmentshoof Biomediese Wetenskappe en Afdelingshoof van Molekulêre Biologie en Mensgenetika, Fakulteit Geneeskunde en Gesondheidswetenskappe by die Universiteit Stellenbosch, 'n lesing gee met die titel:

"When the bacterium goes undercover, why not ask the host?"

Datum:     Donderdag, 4 Oktober 2018

Tyd:         13:00 – 14:00

Plek:        Universiteit Stellenbosch Biblioteek Ouditorium

Meer oor die lesing

The direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is notoriously difficult at a programmatic health care level in resource-limited settings. This is the causative agent of tuberculosis, one of the top 10 causes of death world-wide, with 10.4 million cases and 1.7 million deaths in 2016. Sputum smear microscopy is still the most widely used detection method and only has a 60% sensitivity, culture of the organism takes up to 6 weeks to yield a result and nucleic acid detection remains expensive and relies on advanced, mostly laboratory-based equipment. More than 30% of TB patients are therefore not diagnosed and cumulatively up to 50% of all patients are never cured, even though TB programs report >75% cure rates amongst those starting treatment. Non-cured patient can die, can develop chronic forms of progressively destructive lung disease that is infectious or can self-cure. Our approach has been to base diagnostic and treatment response efforts on the concept that the diseased host will have detected the bacterium even when lab methods fail to do so, and that measurement of inflammatory markers by the host can have diagnostic and treatment response monitoring application. In other words, we use a biomarker approach. We have identified protein and mRNA signatures in different body fluids with promising diagnostic and even predictive potential. We have also employed modern lung imaging technologies, like [18F]-Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computer tomography (FDG-PET/CT) imaging in the search for biomarkers and to increase our understanding of pathophysiology. Site-of-disease sampling through broncho alveolar lavage studies also form part of our efforts to improve our understanding of TB disease.  The ultimate aim of our work is to use the findings of the advanced modern imaging and laboratory techniques to design simple, affordable, laboratory-free tests that are scalable for use in resource limited settings to contribute towards new tools against this disease. Together these studies point towards the importance of multi-disciplinary, highly collaborative research programs to support modern medicine to accomplish significant impact on our communities.

Ons sien uit daarna om u by hierdie geleentheid te verwelkom. Moet dit nie misloop nie!