​​​Mr Michael Whitfield has been appointed a post-doctoral researcher as part of the Odysseus programme funded by the Flemish government. Whitfield is a microbiologist and tuberculosis (TB) researcher in the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) at Stellenbosch University (SU).

Odysseus financing is offered to researchers who have established their careers mainly abroad. They are offered a grant for five years allowing them to develop an international research group.

Prof Annelies Van Rie at the University of Antwerp received Odysseus funding to develop an international research group for investigating the feasibility of a genome-sequencing centre to address important TB questions. The research study is entitled "Development of a Centre for Whole Genome Sequencing studies of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis."

"I am part of Van Rie's research group and will be providing clinical isolates for the study," Whitfield said. Isolates are pure microbial strains that have been separated from a mixed laboratory culture.

Van Rie obtained a PhD degree at SU in 2000 and has since worked in close collaboration on various projects with the TB researchers at the Faculty.

Whitfield will be receiving his PhD degree in December this year for his research entitled "Pyrazinamide Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis."

He has successfully published three articles in international scientific journals prior to the completion of his degree. "It is an interesting project and also gives me the opportunity to present locally and internationally," he said.

His first research paper, entitled "Mycobacterium tuberculosis pncA Polymorphisms That Do Not Confer Pyrazinamide Resistance at a Breakpoint Concentration of 100 Micrograms per Milliliter in MGIT" was published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. This won him the HD Brede Prize for outstanding paper in biomedical research.

"It is an achievement in itself for students to publish their research in acclaimed scientific journals," Prof Nico Gey van Pittius, Vice Dean: Research said.

The HD Brede Prize is awarded at the FMHS's Annual Academic Day to excellent TB researchers. "This year the award was made in two categories, one for clinical research and one for biomedical research," Gey van Pittius said.

Dr Stephanie Thee was awarded best paper in clinical research for her research paper entitled "Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Moxifloxacin in Children with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis".

Photo: Mr Michael Whitfield receives the HD Brede Prize for outstanding paper in biomedical research from Prof Nico Gey van Pittius at the Annual Academic Day.