Nerves, Skin, and Immunity: Understanding Keloids through the Lens of the Immune System - GSS 3.0 (1/5) - Takunda Ngwenya

ImmunoAfrica's Graduate Student Series offers emerging and aspiring immunologists the opportunity to connect with, learn from, and be inspired by some of the most talented immunology graduate students from Africa.

For its third edition, this year, we feature 5 PhD students representing 5 African countries, namely Zimbabwe, South Africa, Benin, Cameroon, and Ethiopia. Our guests share their unique stories, perspectives, and contributions to the field of immunology, particularly within the African context.

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Hosted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wealth Okete⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, The Immunology in Africa Podcast explores narratives at the nexus of immunology & Africa. We ask professors, postdocs, PhD students, and everyone in between to tell us about their journey into immunology, the questions driving their current work, and the impact they hope to make on the continent.

To support our efforts towards amplifying African stories of immunology, you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buy us coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nominate a guest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Takunda Lameck Ngwenya is a PhD researcher in Neuroscience and Immunology at King’s College London, United Kingdom, where he explores how the immune system and nervous system interact in chronic skin conditions like keloid scars.

Originally from Zimbabwe, Takunda holds a distinction-graded MSc in Medicine (Chemical Biology) from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where he worked on a project that aimed to develop novel recombinant immunodiagnostic & -therapeutics for Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

He has a multidisciplinary background spanning immunology, molecular biology, and translational medicine. Takunda is also an advocate for research that addresses underrepresented health issues in global communities.

Timestamps:

00:00 - intro, about guest

01:27 - career background, early journey into immunology

06:08 - navigating the steep learning-growth curve

09:42 - findings from master's research project on cancer immunotherapy

17:23 - updates on PhD research (pain, itch, and immune responses in keloids)

23:28 - are there models or cell lines for studying keloids?

28:15 - potential future applications/implications of findings

29:36 - can keloids be cured solely via surgical resection?

31:15 - keloids vs cancers

32:12 - strengthening immunological research and development in Africa (funding, collaboration, opportunities, and the role of AI)

45:08 - fun tasks (2 truths and 1 lie; a difficult term in the field)

49:56 - outro