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Our October Ambassador of the Month is Brian SM Munansangu who is originally from Zambia. Brian attended the North-West University, South Africa for his BSc and MSc. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF).
Research interests:
My research interests are in the host immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) the main cause of human TB. Specifically, am interested in the immunometabolism of innate immune cells such as macrophages and myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and adaptive immune cells during infection with M.tb.
Recent publications:
Munansangu BSM, Kenyon C, Walzl G, Loxton AG, Kotze LA, du Plessis N. Immunometabolism of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells: Implications for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and Insights from Tumor Biology. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2022; 23(7):3512. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23073512
Why I love immunology:
Immunology is the core science at the root of many diseases and understanding or gaining a deeper knowledge of its workings can provide strategies of tackling new/old diseases and treatments, improved vaccines and potentially cures to conditions like TB or HIV/AIDS.
If I wasn’t an immunologist I would be:
Interestingly, I have a background training in dental sciences, so if I was not an immunologist, I would be a dentist.
Tips for young people who want to enter the field of immunology:
Immunology is the gateway to understanding general medicine, and it is your passion I urge you to keeping the flame burning by reading more and stay curious.
What being an Immunopaedia Ambassador means to me:
It’s an honour and privilege to serve as an Immunopaedia ambassador and it is a great platform to interact with immunologist from all over the world.
How I have contributed to Immunopaedia so far and plans for future contributions:
I have summarised and submitted a breaking news article and will be submitting more interesting articles in the near future.
You can get in touch with me by:
Twitter: @MunaBSM
