Tuberculosis, Microglia, and the Brain: From Infection to Inflammation - GSS 3.0 (3/5) - Limpho Thipane

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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Limpho Thipane is a PhD student at the University of Cape Town and an emerging tuberculosis researcher whose work spans immunology, infectious diseases, and neuroscience. Her Master’s research, titled “Regulators of neuroimmune functions in the manifestation of central nervous system tuberculosis in the absence of microglia”, investigated how microglial depletion influences immune responses, pathogen control, and neuroinflammation in central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS-TB).

Her academic journey has included extensive work in tuberculosis, particularly CNS-TB, with a particular interest in understanding host–pathogen interactions and the role of immune cells, such as microglia and alveolar macrophages, in disease progression and control. Her ongoing PhD research expounds on this area of work with a focus on the non-psychoactive, cannabidiol.

Limpho spends her spare time discussing science with and mentoring high school students, and leads science engagement projects for Eh!woza and the African Research Society.

In this episode, she discusses her fascinating journey to becoming a brain TB scientist, findings from her research, and her ongoing commitment to disseminating science, engaging communities, and mentoring the next generation.

Timestamps:

00:00 - intro, about guest

01:26 - career background, early journey into immunology and neuroscience

05:13 - conducting tuberculosis and neuro-immunology research; mitigating TB inflammation by depleting microglial cells

13:09 - more on brain TB: how it differs from lung TB, heterogeneity, etc.

15:34 - ongoing PhD research on the role of cannabidiol in the management of brain TB inflammation

17:18 - time management, discipline, and extracurricular interests

19:30 - communicating science effectively

23:52 - volunteering in science communication, community engagement and mentorship programmes

29:19 - experiencing mistakes and learning curves

32:52 - reverse spell "MICROGLIA"

33:45 - closing remarks

34:22 - outro