Member Profile
Membership type: full
Gail Louw
Country of origin: South Africa Currently in: South Africa, Claremont General field of specialization: Medical and Health Sciences incl Neurosciences-
Degrees
2009 Doctorate Medical and Health Sciences incl Neurosciences2003 Undergraduate Biological Systems and Organisms2004 Master Biological Systems and Organisms -
Current Research Activities
Medical and Health Sciences incl Neurosciences
Investigating the evolution of drug resistance mechainsms in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. EXTENSIVE TRAINING in Biohazard level 3 Laboratory (2004 to current) • Culturing of Mycobacteria (incl. M. tuberculosis) in various media including: 7H9, GAST/FE, BACTEC 12B medium and MGIT 960, 7H10 and 7H11 agar plates • Drug resistance testing in BACTEC 12B medium and MGIT 960, Broth Microdilution method and 7H10/11 plates for various compounds incl. RIF, INH, PZA, KANA, TMC207, PA824, Moxi, OFL, LIN, SQ109 Mono/double and triple resistant mutant generation, Mutation frequency determination • Assessing the growth of Lab strains and clinical sensitive and resistant M. tuberculosis strains • Cytotoxicity assay, ATP assay • Sputum processing of suspected TB patients, M. tuberculosis Diagnosis Using GeneXpert Analysis. MOLECULAR TECHNIQUES: Transcriptomic techniques: RNA isolation, purification from Mycobacterial cultures, cDNA conversion, qRT-PCR analysis, Gene expression analysis with REST program. Genomic Techniques: Isolating mycobacterial genomic DNA with various methods, Primer design, PCR and targeted Gene sequencing, Mutation detection by SSCP, ARMS-PCR, RT-PCR, Whole Genome sequencing: DNA library construction, DNA fragmentation, Blunting techniques, A’ base addition, Ligation, cDNA enrichment and quantitation.
Publications resulting from Research:
• Rabia Johnson, Elizabeth M Streicher, Gail E Louw; Robin M Warren, Paul D Van Helden, Thomas C Victor. Mycobacterium: Molecular Biology; Chapter 5: Drug resistance in Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, 2005.
• GE Louw, RM Warren, PR Donald, MB Murray, M Bosman, PD Van Helden, DB Young, TC Victor. Frequency and implications of pyrazinamide resistance in managing previously treated tuberculosis patients. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis, 2006. 10(7): p. 802-7
• Rabia Johnson, Elizabeth M. Streicher, Gail E. Louw, Robin M. Warren, Paul D. van Helden, Thomas C. Victor. Drug Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 8: 97–112. 2006.
• Gail E. Louw, Robin M. Warren, Paul D. van Helden, Thomas C. Victor. Rv2629 191A/C nucleotide change is not associated with rifampicin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Clin Chem Lab Med, 2009. 47(4): p. 500-1
• G.E. Louw; R. M. Warren, N.C. Gey van Pittius, C.R.E. McEvoy, P.D. van Helden; T.C. Victor. A Balancing Act: Efflux/Influx in Mycobacterial Drug Resistance. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 2009. 53(8): p. 3181-9
• Louw GE, Warren RM, Gey van Pittius NC, Leon R, Jimenez A, Pando RH, McEvoy CR, Grobbelaar M, Murray M, van Helden PD, Victor TC. Rifampicin Reduces Susceptibility to Ofloxacin in Rifampicin Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis through efflux. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2011 Jul 15;184(2):269-76.
• Black PA, Warren RM, Louw GE, van Helden PD, Victor TC, Kana BD. Energy metabolism and drug efflux in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Antimicrobial agents and Chemother, 2014. May; 58 (5):2491-503
• Black PA, de Vos M, Louw GE, van der Merwe RG, Dippenaar A, Streicher EM, Abdallah AM, Sampson SL, Victor TC, Dolby T, Simpson JA, van Helden PD, Warren RM, Pain A. Whole genome sequencing reveals genomic heterogeneity and antibiotic purification in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates. BMC Genomics. 2015 Oct 24;16(1):857
• Pule, Caroline; Sampson, Samantha; Warren, Rob; Black, Philippa; Van Helden, Paul; Victor, Tommie; Louw, Gail. Efflux pump inhibitors: targeting mycobacterial efflux systems to enhance TB therapy. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2016 Jan;71(1):17-26. Epub 2015 Oct 15.
• Gail E Louw, Samantha L Sampson. Chapter 10: Implications of Chromosomal Mutations for Mycobacterial Drug Resistance Book: Drug resistance in Bacteria, Fungi, Malaria and cancer. Springer International Publishing Switzerland. 2017
Current profession
Current professional activities type:ResearchDeveloping, Standardizing and implementing SOP’s Safety, Health and Environment representative of the Tuberculosis Research Lab Hazardouz Chemical Coordinator at Tuberculosis Research Lab Mentoring, Co-supervising, teaching and training students and post-doctoral fellows
Workshop and Conference Attended
2017 Cape Town, South Africa SWISS/SA Bioinformatics Workshop: Databases and Metabolic modelling course.2017 Stellenbosch, South Africa SET Supervision Workshop2014 Johns Hopkins University, USA (Online) Design and Interpretation of Clinical trials (online)2014 University of North Carolina (Online) Epidemiology: The Basic Science of Public Health (online)2014 Pennsylvania State University, USA (Online) Epidemics – the Dynamics of Infectious diseases (online)2013 John's Hopkins University, USA (Online) Global Tuberculosis Clinical Management and Research (online)2012 NIH, Bethesda, USA Introduction to lab safety2012 NIH, Bethesda, USA Working Safely with HIV and other bloodborne pathogens for non-Hospital Personnel2012 NIH, Bethesda, USA Lab safety at NIH2010 Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA Browsing genes and genomes with ENSEMBLE2010 Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA UCSC Genome Browser2010 Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA Blast Tips and Tricks2017 Cape Town, South Africa XDR-TB conference 20172017 Cape Town, South Africa Swiss/SA symposium in pathogen genomics2015 Girona, Spain Gordon Research conference: Tuberculosis Drug discovery and development2015 New Orleans, LA, USA American Society for Microbiology, 115th General Meeting2012 Kampala, Uganda Keystone conference on Drug Resistance and Persistence2011 Stockholm, Sweden 8th International conference on the pathogenesis of mycobacterial infections2009 Arusha, Tanzania KEYSTONE SYMPOSIUM (OVERCOMING THE CRISIS OF TB AND HIV)Affiliations
SAWISEPresentation given
2015Investigating the Sequential Development of Drug Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosisGirona, SpainEvent: Gordon Research conference: Tuberculosis Drug discovery and development: Challenges, advances and future prospects in the fight against tuberculosis.2015Investigating the Sequential Development of Drug Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosisNew Orleans, LA, USAEvent: American Society for Microbiology, 115th General Meeting2012Mycobacterium tuberculosis sputum cultures show polyphenotypic rifampicin resistance.Kampla, UgandaEvent: Keystone conference on Drug Resistance and Persistence2011Rifampicin reduces susceptibility to Ofloxacin in Rifampicin Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis through effluxStockholm, SwedenEvent: 8th International conference on the pathogenesis of mycobacterial infection2011Anti-tuberculosis drugs: When “heros” become “villains”Cape Town, South AfricaEvent: ANNUAL ACADEMIC YEARDAY2010Activated Efflux Pumps Define the Level of Rifampicin Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosisSan Diego, CA, USAEvent: American Society for Microbiology, General meeting2009New Hope for the treatment of drug resistant TuberculosisCape Town, South AfricaEvent: MRC TB COLLOQUIUM2009New Hope for the treatment of drug resistant TuberculosisArusha, TanzaniaEvent: KEYSTONE SYMPOSIUM (OVERCOMING THE CRISIS OF TB AND HIV)2008Can rifampicin susceptibility be restored in drug- resistant clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?Cape Town, South AfricaEvent: INFECTIOUS DISEASES SYMPOSIUM2007Efflux Pump Inhibitors modulate Rifampicin Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosisCape Town, South AfricaEvent: 38th Union World Conference on Lung Health2005Pyrazinamide resistance: Frequency and the implications for the management of drug resistant TuberculosisCape Town, South AfricaEvent: 48th ANNUAL ACADEMIC YEAR DAY -
Other Awards
Aug 2005JJW Van Zyl TrophyThis award was given to a reseracher under 35 years old for outstanding presentation at a connference.Jun 2010PHRI-AURUM-Global infectious Diseases training (Fogarty-NIH Funded)This award is funded by the Fogarty Foundation and the NIH to Post-Doctoral researchers. Through this award I was able to attend Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA as a visiting fellow to conduct research for 3 months.May 2012Keystone Global Health Travel awardThis award, Funded by Bill and Melina Gates foundation is awarded to reserachers to assist in attending conferences.Jan 2013US NIH intramural training awardThis was a career development funding awarded to Visiting Post-doctoral fellows to conduct their research at the NIH, Bethesda, USAJan 2017Robert Bosch African Early Career Research Fellowship AwardThis is a career development award from the Robert Bosch Stiftung to assist African Scientist in their research.
