Melanie Grobbelaar

About

I am an experienced and detail-orientated Medical Molecular Biologist specializing in M. tuberculosis research. I have extensive laboratory skills including expertise in RNA/DNA extraction together with optimization/troubleshooting, quality control, and qPCR techniques including primer design, relative and absolute expression project designs, and optimization and troubleshooting of projects. I have 11 years of BSL3 experience, with expertise in compound testing, MIC/DST testing, culturing (MGIT, static, roller bottle, and agar), in vitro mutant generation techniques, and troubleshooting. I obtained my PhD in 2017 and results from this work supported a successful application for an NIH R01 grant in 2019 (“Adaptation, fitness, and resistance in rifampicin-resistant M. tuberculosis”); I formulated the research questions and wrote the grant. I have played a key role in the Divisional team implementing Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) compliance in our environment, and I am also a Health and Safety representative and the RNA Lab Manager for the department. I am part of a multi-ethnic divisional group focusing on NGS, transcription and translational studies, transmission and epidemiological studies as well basic and clinical studies. I also have a long-standing collaboration with the Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBE) where I design projects that will improve TB diagnostics and expand our knowledge using engineered devices. I have experience in student supervision, project protocol reviewing, student grant writing, and management. I play a leadership role in the department and have a strong personality with good management and organizational skills. I am very innovative in terms of concept and project design and implementation.

Employment

• Stellenbosch University Research Scientist
  2022 - Present
• Stellenbosch University Postdoc
  2017 - Present

Education

• Stellenbosch University PhD
  2012 - 2017
• Stellenbosch University MSC
  2010 - 2012
• Stellenbosch University BSc (Hons)
  2009 - 2009
• University of the Western Cape BSc
  2006 - 2008

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (12)

• Evaluation of Nanopore sequencing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing and outbreak investigation: a genomic analysis.
  The Lancet. Microbe 2022 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(22)00301-9
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• Optimizing liquefaction and decontamination of sputum for DNA extraction from Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  Tuberculosis 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2021.102159
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• Condition-Specific Mapping of Operons (COSMO) using dynamic and static genome data
  bioRxiv 2022 DOI: 10.1101/2022.06.14.496048
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• Nanopore Sequencing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis : a Critical Review of the Literature, New Developments, and Future Opportunities
  Journal of Clinical Microbiology 2022 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.00646-21
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• Nanopore sequencing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing and outbreak investigation
  medRxiv 2022 DOI: 10.1101/2022.03.04.22271870
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• In silico repurposing of a Novobiocin derivative for activity against latency associated Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug target nicotinate-nucleotide adenylyl transferase (Rv2421c)
  PLOS ONE 2021 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259348
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• The role of copper resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis
  bioRxiv 2021 DOI: 10.1101/2021.03.11.434961
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• Repurposing Novobiocin for activity against latency associatedMycobacterium tuberculosisdrug target nicotinate-nucleotide adenylyltransferase (Rv2421c)
  2020 DOI: 10.1101/2020.07.30.228726
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• Bedaquiline microheteroresistance after cessation of tuberculosis treatment
  New England Journal of Medicine 2019 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1815121
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• Evolution of rifampicin treatment for tuberculosis
  Infection, Genetics and Evolution 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2019.103937
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