Bryan Etindi Abuchery

A molecular biologist and a Bioinformatics enthusiast with Master's Degree in Genetics and a Bachelors Degree in Microbiology.Shortly after my graduation, I was able to get admittance for an internship opportunity at the United States Army Medical Research Unit-Kenya. The six-month internship equipped me with Molecular Biology techniques which have continually helped me to obtain high quality results in different biological assays. My main role at USAMRU-K entailed a continuous surveillance and mapping of Leishmaniasis from endemic regions such as Baringo, Kenya, as well as genetic variation surveillance of the Leishmaniasis-causing pathogens, Leishmania major and Leishmania donovani. Other assays included DNA/RNA Extraction (Spectrophotometric/fluorometric concentration measurements) and PCR Gel Electrophoresis (Primer design, PCR/RT-PCR, gel-staining) during Acute Febrile Illness (AFI) Surveillance Study to catalogue fever causing pathogens and HIV/Malaria Co-Infection Study in determining HIV positive patients that are carriers of the malaria parasite using molecular techniques. These assays were key in informing disease patterns around study regions and their combat strategies.I have also been a bioinformatics intern at International Center for Insect Physiology (ICIPE) Research center. The Molecular Biology Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Unit (MBBU) hub housed within ICIPE was very instrumental in introducing me to new Molecular Biology research concepts such as Next Generation Sequencing and use of computational tools to analyze biological data. Among key techniques include application of programming languages such as Python and R, biostatistics and genomic data analysis. As an intern, I did light programming and scripting to create workflows that involve genetic material data analysis. This was accomplished through various programming languages such as Bash, Python and R. Towards the end of my internship at MBBU-ICIPE, - together with my teammate, I worked on End to End 16S rRNA data analysis pipeline with two most popular analysis tools available today (QIIME2 and DADA2). The end goal of this project was to provide analysis pipelines for similar data generated at ICIPE laboratories in support for the kind of scientific research that occurs at ICIPE. From a novice programming-languages-user, I am more comfortable in aspects that involve generation of data (from the wetlab) to its analysis (computational biology). I also developed other skills from various other activities in the laboratory from previous student attachment periods at Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) which included; DNA Sequencing (sanger/nextgen sequencing (Illumina Sequencing)/data analysis), 100 Inventory taking and subsequent Data Entry to account for all samples in the database, Molecular Biology Techniques such as PCR, Cloning, Molecular Engineering and ELISA, Cellular Cultures (Culture and Sensitivity of microbiological samples) and Biochemical Tests and Malaria RDTs including Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP Techniques). It is the amalgamation of these techniques that make me the Molecular Biologist I am today. Currently I am a PhD student at the University São Paulo, pursuing doctorate degree in Genetics. Away from the laboratory, I have great leadership skills, able to take initiative and enjoy playing Ultimate Frisbee. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)