Pint of Science Belville 14 May Our Body

ABOUT

Pint of Science is a charity run by volunteers that brings some of the most brilliant scientists to your local pub to discuss their latest research and findings with you. You don't need any prior knowledge, and this is your chance to meet the people responsible for the future of science (and have a pint with them). The festival started in the UK and runs every May in over 150 cities across 19 different countries - including South Africa! This year Pint of Science will take place on 14, 15 and 16 May 2018. 

The Theme for 14 May is Our Body

Speakers:

Dr. Elloise du Toit - Breast Milk: A Mother's Genius

Dr Elloise du Toit is a Medical Microbiologist at UCT and is fascinated by the hot topic, known as the microbiome, the collection of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in and on us. Currently she is working on a large birth cohort, The Drakenstein Child Health Study, based in Paarl and its primary outcome is pneumonia as well as other more general health outcomes. She’s looking particularly at the composition of breast milk and if there are any associations with the development of pneumonia, asthma and wheezing. 

Dr Elloise du Toit completed her PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology working on a project developing probiotics for use in the ostrich farming industry in South Africa. She loved this project as it was so hands on and applicable in the real world. This was the start to her passion in probiotics and gut health. In 2012, Dr. du Toit started a 5 year post-doctoral fellowship in Medical Microbiology working on the Drakenstein Child Health Study, looking at the stool and breast milk microbiomes and how shifts in these microbial communities were associated with the development of disease in children. Dr. du Toit am extremely interested in maternal and infant wellness, food security and gut health, as well as increasing breast feeding rates in Africa. 

Dr. Karin Baatjes - Maintaining bone health of breast cancer survivors

Breast cancer is a major health matter. The objective of treatment is twofold, to prolong cancer free survival of patients but simultaneously to limit crippling side effects. Endocrine therapy is the foundation for hormone sensitive breast cancer and aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are currently the gold standard. One of the adverse effects of AIs could be a decrease in bone density with the potential for fractures.

It is essential to maintain bone health during adjuvant breast cancer therapy, to minimize morbidity to patients. In the era of individualised treatment, early identification of at risk women would enable customized patient management and treatment adjustment.

Karin Baatjes is a clinician–scientist. She is the head of the division of Anatomy at Stellenbosch University and a consultant Surgeon in the Surgical Oncology Service at Tygerberg Hospital. She qualified as Fellow of the College of Surgeons of South Africa in 2004 and graduated MMed (Chir) (Stellenbosch) in 2005. She is currently a registered student, PhD in Surgery assessing Bone health outcomes in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Her research interests span the fields of breast cancer screening, genetics and personalised medicine. 

She is a passionate clinical educator and is very enthusiastic about blended learning and its emergence in clinical medicine.

Dr Tandeka Magcwebeba - TB and our body- a dangerous combination

Our body is constantly exposed to harmful environmental agents that can cause damage and even lead to death, one good example of these harmful environmental agents is a bug (bacteria) called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 

This bacterium is mostly found in the lungs of infected people and it is transmitted from one person to the other via the inhalation of contaminated airborne particles. Once infected, a person may develop active Tuberculosis (TB), a chronic infectious disease that, if not treated adequately, can lead to death. Currently, TB is one of the leading cause of death in the world and South Africa is amongst the countries that are heavily burdened by this disease. Health researchers concerned with TB management are currently working on different strategies that can help improve the diagnosis, treatment and death rate of this disease. 

Tandeka Magcwebeba is a Post-doctoral fellow in the Immunology Group at Stellenbosch University. This Early Career Researcher is mostly interested in the immune system; its functions; how it is affected during disease development; how it can be used to predict disease development and treatment efficacy (biomarkers) and lastly how it can be improved to fight better against disease (host-directed therapy). Currently her research focus is on how tuberculosis affects immune responses. 

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