Dr Leigh Kotzè [University of Stellenbosch]

Host: Dr Sabelo Hadebe[Div of Immunology] SAIS Seminar

Dr. Leigh Kotzé is a South African immunologist with a keen interest ininvestigating the innate immune
response to tuberculosis (TB), particularlywithin the human granuloma. Her PhD (Stellenbosch University) focused onimmune biomarkers for TB, investigating potential new diagnosticbiosignatures, TB treatment response biomarkers, as well as functionalbiomarkers indicative of protective immunity in the context of other co-infections such as HIV and helminths. Her post-doctoral fellowship within theStellenbosch University Immunology Research Group has focused on theinvestigation of suppressive myeloid responses during the early, innate, andlater, adaptive stages of pulmonaryMycobacterium tuberculosis infection,particularly at the lung site-of-disease. This work led to the development andestablishment of a novel patient-derived, in vitro 3D spheroid TB granulomamodel which mimics the site of infection for the study of host responses duringdisease. Alongside her love of lab work, she spends a large proportion of hertime training future scientists, teaching students in high parameter flowcytometry and other platforms, as she enjoys sharing her excitement and loveof science and immunology with the younger generation.