On Wednesday 27th of April, Katedralskolan was blessed with the visit of Dr. Rawana Alkhalili. Alkhalili is currently conducting research at LTH, The Faculty of Engineering at Lund University, where she also obtained her master’s and PhD in Biotechnology. More specifically, she has studied antibacterial resistance, how to fill “knowledge gaps” within this field and how to potentially discover a safe solution to the issue.
Antibacterial resistance has become more relevant along with the vast overuse of antibiotics. “Superbugs“, as Alkhalili referred to them, are bacterias that have developed the ability to defeat the antibiotics that were originally designed to kill them. However, this should only be a concern regarding bad bacteria. Non-experts tend to automatically classify all types of bacteria as bad which is untrue. Good bacteria cause no harm to the human body and can be used to fight off bad bacteria, without the same disruptive effects as antibiotics. For her research project, Alkhalili investigated a type of good bacteria found in hot springs.
Furthermore, Rawana enlightened the audience on bacteria’s social intelligence. Bacterias have been proven to produce certain chemical messages to which they respond. If a bacterium finds itself under harsh conditions, it will send out messages to convey stress to other bacteria around them. Likewise, if there is a lack of nutrients within a population some bacteria will produce their own toxins to commit suicide and thereby preserve the colony as an entity.
This course of study was, however, not the most obvious choice for Dr. Rawana Alkhalili. Her original plan was to pursue research within the genetic field, and it was during her master’s studies that her interest in antibacterial resistance arose. With her research came recognition, which was described as a natural course of events. One thing she values highly in her work is the collaboration with other scientists: to meet new people around the world, exchange ideas and conduct scientific research.
“Research is like a puzzle,” she told me. Each scientist acts as an expert within their own specific field and works with others to exchange their expertise and contribute to a larger whole. Alkhalili also states that it is completely normal for her to feel overloaded with the large amount of work, having to publish scientific papers on time and finding efficient funding. However, she finds it to be rewarding in the end, as she gets to witness her research come alive with her hard work.
by Emmie DP20