Profile

I live with my supportive husband and two kids; a boy and a girl. I go to school/work as a PhD student every morning whilst my husband takes care of the kids and works about 3 nights a week. We can both cook so whoever is free and available does the cooking. Some of the meals my husband has made in the past are actually tastier than mine. We enjoy watching films during the weekends and even watch cartoons with the kids. On Sunday we go to church and the kids go to Sunday School where they paint and sing about Jesus.

Malaria parasites that cause malaria in children and some adults make the children’s red blood cells have sticky bumps on them that stick to vessels like Velcro does. In children with severe malaria certain conditions in their body (like high temperature and increased blood lactate)  will make the red blood cells stick together. This will block the blood vessels, and prevent oxygen from reaching the organs, such as the brain, kidneys, or liver. This may cause inflammation or cell death. For my project I am aiming to discover how body conditions in children with severe malaria may cause the  parasite to make very sticky bumps that can lead to death. I will then determine if there is a way to prevent the bumps from becoming stickier, and so ensure that all children with severe malaria will be completely healthy.

The experiment involving growing the parasite in a petri dish for 48 hrs because it takes that long for the parasite to complete one life cycle. Within that long waiting period i do some writing, reading and preparation of chemicals for subsequent experiments. Day to day activity varies depending on the experiment and on if I have assignments to do.