Marisa Klopper

Marisa started at the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Stellenbosch University as a research assistant in 2009. She subsequently decided to pursue an academic career, starting with a Master's degree, which was upgraded to PhD, graduating in 2015, with the study entitled “Molecular epidemiology of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the Eastern Cape, South Africa". This study showed that a strain of tuberculosis which is endemic to the area has acquired resistance to all standard first- and second line drugs on multiple occasions, and is spreading in such highly resistant forms.

Marisa is currently a researcher in Prof Rob Warren's lab. She is interested in various aspects of isoniazid resistance, ranging from the epidemiology of mono-resistant strains and strains with unusual mechanisms of resistance in the Eastern Cape, to the physiological role of specific isoniazid resistance-causing mutations. She has a special interest in the structure and function of mycolic acids, and how resistance-causing mutations may influence this. She is also involved in TB diagnostics, in particular the use of cough sound analysis as a screening test for TB. Currently, this technology is being investigated for its application to COVID-19 diagnostics under her leadership.

Marisa is supported by the SAMRC through its Division of Research Capacity Development under the SAMRC Intramural Postdoctoral programme from funding received from the South African National Treasury, the NRF Centre of Excellence in Biomedical TB Research as well as an EDCTP Junior Career Development Fellowship (TMA2017CDF-1885: The role of Mycobacterium tuberculosis compensatory mutations in metabolic fitness via the structure and function of mycolic acids).