Thursday, April 25, 2024

Maamba resident awarded Harvard Stem cell institute internship

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Yanick Mulumba
Yanick Mulumba

Kabungo Yanick Mulumba, a resident of Maamba, Zambia, a graduate of St. Canisius High School, and now a senior at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, is one of forty undergraduate students accepted into the 2014 Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) Internship Program, which provides participants with a challenging summer research experience in a cutting-edge stem cell science laboratory.

Mulumba is spending ten weeks, from June 9 to August 15, in the Harvard University Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology laboratory of HSCI Principal Faculty member Chad Cowan, PhD, known for his research on genetic disease modeling. Mulumba’s project this summer is to engineer transplantable white blood cells that don’t attack the body’s own cells when used for adoptive immunotherapy—a treatment that uses biological substances to boost a patient’s immune system.

“The internship has enhanced my critical thinking through troubleshooting and planning of experiments,” Mulumba said. “I’ve also been exposed to leaders in academia and industry who have helped me learn how to combine my interests in medicine, research, and healthcare management.”

Over the course of the program, interns participate in a stem cell seminar series, a career pathways presentation, and a weekly stem cell companion course. They present their summer research findings, both orally and in poster format, at an end-of-program symposium.

“This program represents an exciting opportunity for undergraduates to gain hands-on experience in stem cell research while working in an HSCI laboratory under the supervision of an experienced researcher,” said HSCI Internship Program co-director M. William Lensch, PhD.

The Harvard Stem Cell Institute gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following sponsors for the 2014 HSCI Internship Program: Biogen Idec, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Regenerative Medicine, Loughborough University (UK), Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

27 COMMENTS

    • You can make it no matter where you come from! Once you understand that, you will be on your way.

      There are more Zambians studying at working at Harvard.

  1. Congratulations Kabungo! It’s an honor for you to mix with people with great minds.Learn all you can,the way they think and analyses issues…Don’t come back to Zambia too quickly PF may arrest you or Kabimba might insult you.But one day after you have learned much make sure you contribute to Zambia’s health care system and scientific research.

    • Oh no only 10 weeks! Can someone please ring Harvard and ask for a 2 year extension to his programme or perhaps he should seek intellectual asylum in the U.S….Our justice minister His (dis) honorable Wynter Kabimba made it clear intellectuals are a threat to the PF government.

    • @ Ex-moma
      Please do not let Mushkarano confuse you. Kabungo, according to the report is actually an UNDERGRADUATE at Harvard but he will be in stem cell research lab for 10 weeks. We must congratulate the guy not only for the stem cell research, but also for being a senior at Harvard!

      The Warlord

  2. @ex-mona – indeed Kabimba may arrest the brilliant young man to “do stem cell” therapy on him seeming he is riddled with disease.

  3. I have to add my congrats. Some good news at least. Keep it up young man. When you get the chance lift up other young Zambians. Each one lift one. Then we can all move forward.

  4. Congrtas mudala, do not come to Zambia till 2016 when HH becomes president. The PF kingdom does not like intellectuals but bafoons.

  5. Much as we would like Zambian scientists and researchers abroad to be patriotic and serve the country the truth of the matter is that the Zambian government is not ready to fund research in the country adequately . Therefore Zambian scientists are better of where they are. Maybe those who have been out for a long time and can come and set up something in Zambia upon retirement.

    • @Monk
      The Ebola virus, a filamentous virus with antisense (negatively-stranded) RNA genome isolated from the Ebola river in the current DRC (Zaire) and also at Marburg in Germany among several places is NOT yet in Zambia. So the Harvard guy is as safe as they come upon his return.

  6. this is true another Zambian researcher in south Africa , Mwila Mulubwa got a second position in his pharmacology research at the world pharmacology conference in cape town last month.we thank God for you young men.God bless Zambia.

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