Imaging the Malaria parasite Santa Maria College Jessica, Phuong, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Imaging the Malaria parasite

Santa Maria College Jessica, Phuong, Catherine, Syliva, Mai & Vivian

3/07/2012

What we believed science was

• Stereotypes of scientists
• a. They play video games
• b. Their work is solitary
• c. They wear lab coats everywhere
• d. They wear glasses
• e. They are antisocial like Sheldon Cooper

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How is this project related to a real world problem?

• 1 million people die every year from

Malaria

• Affects mostly pregnant women and

children

• 3 billion people (40% of world population)

are at risk of malaria

• Majority of deaths are in Africa

What do we mean by integrated science?

• Scientists from different areas come

together to work together

• Some of your ideas may be important for
• ther people from different areas
• E.g. Bio 21 Institute

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The project goal

• To understand how interactions

between scientific disciplines can aid research

• To understand the biology of the

parasite

• To understand the technology behind

the scientific research

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Scope of Institute

• Bio 21 opened in June 2005
• Major research centre links research with

technology

• Advancement of technology allows

scientists to answer questions

• Platform and expertise of institute reflect

research priorities

Jessica Castro

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Aim of Bio 21

• Biotechnological innovation through

research in biomedical, agricultural and environmental biotechnology

• Establish platform technology

available to wide spread science and industrial community

• Translate research into education,

economical and community benefits

• Enhance research and training

programs

• Forum community debate

Jessica Castro

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Platform Technology

• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
• Mass spectrometry and proteomics
• Peptide technology
• Metabolomics Australia
• Advanced Microscopy facility
• Electron Microscopes
• Fluorescent microscopes

Jessica Castro

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• 3 billion people are at risk of malaria (40%
• f world population)
• The current number of infections world

wide each year is 250 million

• In Africa a child dies every 45 seconds of

Malaria

• Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by

the protozoa Plasmodium

• Transmitted by the Anophele mosquito

Phuong Lam

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1 2 3 4 5 6 9 Phuong Lam

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Drugs Mosquito control Vaccine

Phuong Lam

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Plasmodium falciparum

 is responsible for the most serious type of malaria  P. falciparum infected red blood cells stick to the inside of blood vessels  The parasite is able to avoid recapture and be destructed by the spleen due to this  The stickiness causes blood vessel blockage and anaemia  Infected parasites become sticky because of a protein found on the surface of infected erythrocytes  PfEMP1- Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1

Catherine Zhang

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PfEMP1

 PfEMP1 is produced inside the parasite and exported to the surface of the red blood cell  As red blood cells (erythrocytes) have no protein export system, parasites build their

• wn export stations

 These are called Maurer’s cleft and hold the proteins before they move to the membrane of the red blood cell  The PfEMP1 is held in knobs found on the membrane

Catherine Zhang

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Maurer’s Clefts and Knobs

• Knobs appear in the early trophozoite

stages in the life cycle of the parasite

• They provide an elevation for the

PfEMP1 and assist in the sticking to the blood vessels

• Maurer’s clefts are export stations built

by the parasite and assist in the trafficking of PfEMP1 from the parasite to the membrane

Catherine Zhang

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The Electron Microscope

• High quality facility
• The limit of resolution of our cells depend on

the wavelength of light Two types

• Scanning EM
• Transmission EM

Sylvia Xiao

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Electron Microscope advantages and how it helps in the science community

• Higher magnification and resolution for

structural investigation of biological molecules

• Able to view small samples and inside them
• Able to view in 3D and can produce

tomograpies

• Aids scientists in the process of research to

discover new information about the organism they are researching about. Sylvia Xiao

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Preparation of samples for electron microscopes

• Cells must be dead
• It takes a week of preparation
• The process of preparation

Sylvia Xiao

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Visible light

Mai Kieu

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How fluorescence works

The emission of light from a structure following the absorption of light

• Small Chemicals
• Proteins (e.g. GFP)

These have specific absorbance & emission wavelengths Emission is a longer wavelength than Absorbance due to the energy lost (Stokes Shift)

Mai Kieu

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Fluorescence

Mai Kieu

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The Australian Synchrotron

What is a Synchrotron? It is a really big, circular, megavoltage machine that is the size of an average football field. What does it do? It produces high energy electrons that are forced to travel in a circular orbit inside the tunnels of the synchrotrons of magnetic fields. Other places where there are a synchrotron? There are over 50 worldwide How is it designed? The Synchrotron is designed in 6 parts. Vivian Bui

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Beamlines

IMBL (Imaging & Medical Beamline) Main Technique used: X-ray imaging of biomedical samples Applicable Areas of Research: Biologist, Doctors, Hospitals PD (Powder Diffraction) Main Technique used: Investigate protein structures Applicable Areas of Research: Biologist XFM (X-ray Fluorescence Microscope) Main technique used: To detect elements inside a material Applicable Areas of Research: Biologist, Industry, Damaged of things (eg. Paintings) Vivian Bui

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Beamlines

IMBL PDX XFM Vivian Bui

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Further Areas or Questions to Investigate

From the results we gained, we can see that there is a need in research for the following:

• Continue research into PfEMP1 trafficking
• The process of the development of the

vaccine

• Further research into drug targets and
• ther interventions

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What was interesting about the science that is happening in this lab?

• Sample preparation
• The transmission electron microscopes
• NMR cave
• Mass spec
• 3D-SIM

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Why Should We care about the Research?

• Because malaria affects 40% of the world

population

• Australia is surrounded by countries that

have Malaria so it is important to keep Australia malaria free

• Developed countries can help developing

countries to fight malaria

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How is it relevant to other sciences?

• Physics and Engineering are needed for

the development of the microscopes

• Chemistry is needed for the development
• f novel drugs
• Biology is needed to investigate the

biological ideas of organisms at a cellular level related to malaria

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How Has Our View of Science

• r Scientists Changed?
• Scientists don’t wear lab coats around- just in the

laboratory

• They’re not that intelligent
• They are not the stereotypes the media presents them
• Have more time flexibility
• Takes a lot more time and dedication than what is

portrayed in the media

• Scientists are not all old like Einstein
• The questions are not necessarily simple and there is

not always a right answer

What Have We Learnt?

• Use different instruments / Experimental techniques such as

1. Electron microscope 2. Microtome 3. Fluorescent microscope (Blaze/Scorch)

• Team Work

1. Observing teamwork within the groups

• Organization

1. Lab meetings are organized 2. Organized for experimental work

• Problem Solving
• Communication
• Interacting in the lab
• Presenting at lab meetings

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What choices have opened up to me In Possible Career Choices?

• Lab head
• Research assistant
• Post doctoral researcher
• Lecturers
• Demonstrating
• Industry (sales or research)

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How has being part of GTP changed my appreciation for physical science?

• I find science a bit more easier and think that it is easy to do and

experiment after having proper understanding about what we are doing

• Science is not all just about specific facts but can be fun and

interesting

• Science is a part of everything and everyone
• It is a subject that can be for anyone
• Scientists can be successful as long as they are persistent
• Society requires science
• It is more entertaining than a text book although it is harder than just

reading a text book

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Acknowledgements

• The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-

Ray Science: Paul McMillan, Coralie Millet, Megan Dearnley, Shannon Kenny, Silvia Teguh, Mauro Maiorca & Leann

• The Growing Tall Poppies Program Developer:

Dr Eroia Barone-Nugent, Santa Maria College

• NAB Schools First & Catholic Education Office
• Bio21 Institute: Helen Varnavas, Nick

Williamson, David Keizer, Eric Hanssen

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