A day in the life of a scientist

On 19th and 20th June, the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics hosted its first official Job Shadow Program - which provided science enthusiastic scholars with the opportunity to experience what it is like to work in a clinical research laboratory. The 2-day event was attended by 9 secondary school learners, ranging in grade level (Gr 9 to 11), from several high schools within the Tygerberg Medical Campus surrounding area.

Job Shadow Program Attendees (Left to Right) Top: Chloe Wanza (De Kuilen High School); Sidney Poggenpoel (Brackenfall High School); Cloë Smith (Protea Heights Academy); Kayla Bubb (DF Malan High School); Anja Ontong (Durbanville High School); Tymen Fredricks (Gordon High School); Christiaan Hiemstra (DF Malan High School); Bottom: Eugénie Muller (DF Malan High School); Tia Crous (DF Malan High School)

The program began with an introductory talk, wherein attendees were introduced to the various research groups within our division and given a brief overview of the heat their research entails and how they conduct said research. Following this, the attendees where given a safety talk by BSL-3 manager, Dr Nasiema Allie, and given a in-depth tour of the facilities. Notable, much of our research is focused on tuberculosis - a communicable, air-borne disease - wherein our staff and students utilise infected samples to study both the bacteria and host immune response. Several precautions are taken to ensure the safety of all staff and student, including access controlled entry into specialised laboratories wherein all infectious samples are processed. For safety reasons, the job shadow attendees were not permitted entry into these areas, however a demonstration of the personal protective equipment (PPE) used within these laboratory was done and the importance and purpose of the various safety procedures and protocols discussed.

“…a fun and educational experience” - Anonymous

The first of the interactive program sessions for Day 1 included an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) demonstration with members from the SU Animal TB Research Group. This assay is used by researchers within MBHG to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection, the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis disease, wherein samples are mixed with a variety of chemicals and the resulting reaction observed. If a host has traces of the bacteria in their system, a colour change will occur indicating infection. For this demonstration, each student was given a "sample" and asked to perform a mini ELISA, following the direction of the scientist in charge. These samples were simple water, some of which were spiked with a powdered compound that when mixed with a chemical within the mock ELISA kit, changed colour.

“..It was extremely interesting and helpful. I enjoyed it a lot! All of the people are so friendly” - Tia Crous

The second session of the day took place in the SU Immunology Research Lab where attendees witnessed a real life PBMC (peripheral blood mononuclear cell) isolation. This technique is regularly employed by researchers to isolate and study specific immune cell types within the blood to better understand their function and role within disease. During the session, attendees did some practical work wherein they performed the "daunting" layering process used within the PBMC isolation method. For this demonstration, the "blood" used for this procedure was replaced with coloured saline to ensure the students safety at all times. The students were then given a briefing regarding cryopreservation (storing of biological samples at subzero temperatures) and the necessary precautions to take when working with liquid nitrogen.

“I really enjoyed everything we’ve learnt and done :)” - Chloe Wanza

Day 2 started off with a bang in the TB Genomics Laboratory! Job shadow attendees were given the opportunity to perform a DNA extraction on real M.tb samples that had been heat sterilised/killed to ensure safety. DNA extraction techniques are fundamental in genetic research and enable scientists to study the "master code" of an organism, providing insight into the function and necessity of various molecular mechanisms that ensure survival of the organism under investigation. Within the TB genomics lab, this method is used to study M.tb strains to identify bacterial resistance and investigate possible new drug targets to combat infection. This activity was the highlight for many of the attendees and involved 2-full hours on hands-on activities.

“…I enjoyed it thoroughly; all the staff was very friendly” - Kayla Bubb

The last of the programs hands-on activities involved a tour of the divisions cell culture facilities by members of the SU TB Host Genetics Research Group. Cell culture is a process where a cells isolated form a living tissue are grown in the lab under controlled conditions outside of their natural environment. Cell culture allows for the investigation of effect of various compounds/drugs on cell function and survival without causing harm to the host. For this activity volunteers were tasked with growing their own flat of cells, this included steps such as sterilising the biosafety level 2 cabinet (as shown in the video), preparing the growth media reagents i.e the liquid "food" that the cells grow in, and finally adding the cells to the media and observing them under the microscope. The attendees were then shown a series of images taken by students of their cell culture experiments to get an idea of the type of research studies conducted by the group.

“Everyone was so kind and patient...” - Sidney Poggenpoel

To end off the activities for day 2, the attendees sat down with bioinformaticians within the division and discussed the importance and purpose of computer sciences/bioinformatics within medical research and its applications in the real world. Thereafter, attendees were also given a brief tour of the SU Molecular Biology Clinical research Unit by one of the groups nurses, wherein they learnt standard operations of a clinical trial and the importance thereof.

Following this, the attendees took part in a quick feedback session where they were encouraged to ask questions relating to the program if they were unsure of anything they had encountered or heard over the 2-day period. Attendees were also given the opportunity to submit comments or suggestions (anonymously if so desired) to the program organisers to assist with improvement for the future.

“I really liked the experiments and it made me feel like a real scientist. I learned a lot of new words and cool stuff.” - Tymen Fredricks

Written by: Dannielle K Moore