Dr Rashmi Fotedar
A three-year doctoral research scholarship has been awarded to Dr Rashmi Fotedar for a research project in Public Health Microbiology entitled Defining Sexual Networks in Sydney Using a Novel Blood-Free Culture Medium for Neisseria Gonorrhoeae.
The major aim of the project is to produce an easily prepared animal blood free medium for culture-based diagnosis of gonorrhoea which will not only benefit individual patients but also will help control infection within the community. Many traditional media contain blood or blood components such as haemoglobin, plasma, haemolysed RBCs etc. from animals (eg horses, goats, sheep, and cattle). The use of this novel blood-free medium in clinical laboratories could eventually replace or greatly decrease the use of media that rely on animal blood.
The use of animal blood for the production of a suitable medium has major limitations world wide because blood is not always readily available, is relatively expensive, may be of variable quality and is liable to be contaminated and therefore potentially hazardous. The production of a completely blood-free medium not only meets with The MAWA Trust’s strict guidelines but would also be a major breakthrough in non-animal culture-based research.
Dr Fotedar has a Bachelor of Science, a Masters in Science and a PhD in Microbiology. Her research will be undertaken in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of NSW and the Department of Microbiology at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, under the supervision of Professor Basil Donovan and Professor John Tapsall.