For UNE PhD candidate, Rukshan Rafeek, one of his favourite things about the field of immunology is that it has "so many elements and mysteries to be explored."
We had a chat to Rukshan about why he chose the field and what it's been like studying alongside world-class immunologists during his time at UNE.
What sparked your interest in vaccines/immunology?
I completed my undergraduate degree in microbiology and completed my Masters in virology. Microbiology and immunology are both interconnected in many aspects, which always intrigued me to learn more about infection and immunity. As we all know, the role of our immune system is to protect us from pathogens. However, like any other system, the immune system can also malfunction and incorrectly identify our own tissue, leading to autoimmune diseases. This further captivated me to do a PhD on infection induced autoimmune diseases.
What has your experience been like studying at UNE?
Doing a PhD is a long and difficult journey, but the high-end facilities and resources at UNE made this journey very smooth. Like any field, to be at your best you need to find the right opportunities for mentorship and training. In that case, I’ve been very lucky to work with world-class scientists during my PhD and that has really helped me to improve my skills and knowledge.
What is your research project all about?
Post streptococcal autoimmune cardiac and neurobehavioral complications are caused by an autoimmune response to a preventable Group A Streptococcal (GAS) infection. The pathophysiology of post streptococcal complications and the means by which it affects the heart and brain remains debated. Animal models are essential to study the early mechanisms which leads to these complications. Therefore, my project involves developing a rodent model, which resembles posts streptococcal complications to investigate the pathogenesis. This animal model will be useful for the pre-clinical assessment of vaccines against GAS infection and identification of robust biomarker for the diagnosis of post streptococcal autoimmune complications.
What would you say to someone considering a career in immunology?
Immunology is a cutting-edge field in medical science and is critical to human and animal health and survival. The layers of immunology open the pathway towards vaccine development, treatment modalities and many more, which are the need of the hour. Once you start to study the immune system in depth, you will realise that there are so many elements and mysteries that has to be explored.
