Trailblazing TB Research Earns Medical Scientist a PhD

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‘All my degrees were obtained at UKZN,’ said the ever-beaming Dr Santhuri Rambaran, a Medical Scientist at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases’ (NICD) Centre for Tuberculosis (TB), whose PhD in Medical Microbiology, supervised by world-class TB Scientists, Dr Aida Sivro and Professor Kogie Naidoo, was conferred on 6 May.

Her doctoral research: Immune Biomarkers of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Treatment Response and Disease Severity Among HIV-infected and Uninfected Individuals from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, was the first study in the country to characterise soluble and cellular phenotypes during active, recurrent TB and TB/HIV co-infection.

‘South Africa has the highest burden of TB and HIV and pursuing research as a young scientist, I feel compelled to play an active role in understanding the immunology and pathogenesis of TB and HIV. My passion for microbiology, science and the constant challenges presented within TB and HIV research kept me curious within this research field,’ Rambaran said.

Performed using stored plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa’s (CAPRISA) Improving Retreatment Success (IMPRESS) trial, Rambaran’s PhD assessed their associations with time to negative culture conversion and disease severity.

Rambaran published two papers from the study. In 2023, she was successfully registered as a Medical Biological Scientist by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). The scientific community lauded the study because host-directed therapies and the identification of blood-based biomarkers of treatment response and disease severity are a promising strategy to improve TB control.

Rambaran said there was an urgent need for accurate and easily detectable non-sputum-based biomarkers that can correlate with the activity or burden of TB. ‘Identification of host immune biomarkers of TB risk, treatment outcome and disease severity are key to the development of more efficient diagnostics and treatment modalities,’ she advised.

Rambaran said: ‘Like many, I too have encountered challenges during my study. The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact and this led to some major delays in meeting deadlines with regards to my laboratory experiments. The support of my supervisors was phenomenal. They played a big role in guiding and assisting me to overcome these challenges.’

‘I feel extremely grateful and blessed since this has been a rollercoaster journey. My future aspirations are centred on constant growth and skills development. I am committed to keeping abreast of advancements in science and specifically research surrounding tuberculosis. I see myself as an integral player, proactively contributing towards the fight to end TB.’

Rambaran thanked her mother and her late father for being the greatest support during her academic journey. She said: ‘No journey or accomplishment is complete without hurdles, so embrace them as they will help you navigate life.’

When not in the lab, Rambaran loves building Lego sets and watching TV series.

Words: Lunga Memela

Photograph: Sethu Dlamini