Ms Raygaana Jacobs

I achieved a BSc in Microbiology and Biochemistry and a BSc (Hons) and MSc in Molecular and cell biology at the Biopharming Research Unit (BRU) from the University of Cape Town.

My MSc project focused on optimizing protein expression vectors using replication and silencing suppressor elements in plants. During my MSc I was chosen to attend a three-week work exchange programme to learn the GoldenBraid2.0 cloning technique at the Institute of experimental Botany, Prague, Czech Republic as part of the NRF Bilateral Czech/RSA research cooperating programme.

After completing my Msc, I was granted the DST/NRF internship programme based at the International Centre for genetic engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) (IDM,UCT). My project focused on investigating the function of the long non-coding RNA (LncRNA)-612 in macrophage polarization during M. tuberculosis infection. Thereafter, I became a Lab technician assisting with histology, Immunohistochemistry and other laboratory duties.

In 2022 I joined H3D as a senior research scientist in the AMR group where I will be focusing testing and screening compound libraries in single point and dose response assays as well as assist with and running of secondary assays and molecular biology experiments.