Profile Details

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Hire Dr. Bernice M.

South Africa

USD 750 /hr

Ensuring Excellence in Precision Medicine: Drug Sensitivity, Cancer Genetics, and Quality Manufacturing Processes

Profile Summary

Dr. Bernice Monchusi, PhD Precision Medicine and Biomanufacturing Specialist in Molecular and Cell Biology A highly skilled Postdoctoral Fellow at CSIR, collaborating with the University of the Witwatersrand and Baragwanath Hospital on leukemia and ovarian cancer projects, with a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology. I focus on advancing precision medicine through personalized drug sensitivity screening, quality control (QC), and downstream manufacturing processes. I bring a specialized skill set in drug screening, cancer genetics, and bioassay development, with extensive training in biomanufacturing and quality control. My credentials include a certificate of competence from Anatech in High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and a certificate from Merck in 'Understanding Sterile Filtration and Integrity Testing in Pharmaceutical Production.' I also completed the Quality Control and Downstream Processes course under the African Biomanufacturing Workforce Training and Skills Development Programme. In pursuit of scientific excellence, I have earned certifications in Good Clinical Practice and Ethics Training from TRREE, attended the Proteomics Summer School, and completed training at the 5th Annual Emerging and Established African Researcher Training Academy. My expertise is further enhanced through workshops like the Intracellular CITE-seq workshop by Proteintech, enabling me to stay at the forefront of advanced cellular analysis techniques.

Subject Matter Expertise

• ☆ Biochemistry
• ☆ Biochemical Assays
• ☆ Apoptosis
• ☆ Oxidative Stress & Mitochondrial Function
• ☆ Antioxidants
• ☆ Enzyme Activity Assays
• ☆ Molecular Biology
• ☆ Genetics
• ☆ Microarrays
• ☆ PCR
• ☆ Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)
• ☆ Synthetic Genomics
• ☆ Gene Expression Analysis
• ☆ RNA Synthesis
• ☆ DNA/Gene Synthesis
• ☆ Cell Biology
• ☆ Cell-Based Assays
• ☆ Cell Signaling Pathways
• ☆ Gene Regulation
• ☆ Stem Cell Research
• ☆ Biotechnology & Bioengineering
• ☆ Microscopy
• ☆ Light Microscopy
• ☆ Electron Microscopy
• ☆ Biomarker Discovery
• ☆ Cell Culture
• ☆ Primary Cells
• ☆ Synthetic Biology
• ☆ Blotting
• ☆ Phylogenetics
• ☆ Drug Discovery
• ☆ High Throughput Screening (HTS)
• ☆ Phenotypic Assays
• ☆ Medicinal Chemistry
• ☆ Drug Design
• ☆ Drug Development
• ☆ Biologic & Biosimilar Development
• ☆ Drug-Drug Interactions
• ☆ Preclinical Research
• ☆ In vitro Preclinical Toxciology
• ☆ Vaccine Development

Services

• Writing
• Consulting
• Data & AI
• Product Development

Writing Medical Writing, Technical Writing, Copywriting

Consulting Healthcare Consulting, Operations Consulting

Data & AI Image Processing, Image Analysis, Data Visualization, Data Processing

Product Development Recipe Development, Quality Assurance & Control (QA/QC), Product Compliance

Work Experience

Postdoctoral researcher

CSIR

July 2023 - July 2026

Postdoctoral Fellow

Stellenbosch University

March 2023 - June 2023

Postdoctoral Fellow

University of Limpopo

October 2021 - February 2023

Research Assistant

South African National Biodiversity Institute

November 2020 - April 2021

Post-Doctoral Fellow

University of the Witwatersrand

March 2018 - February 2021

Teaching Assistant

University of the Witwatersrand

July 2014 - December 2017

Education

PhD (Molecular and Cell Biology)

University of the Witwatersrand

June 2014 - March 2018

BSc Honours (Biochemistry )

Rhodes University

February 2013 - December 2013

BSc (Biochemistry )

Rhodes University

February 2010 - December 2012

Certifications

• First Aid Level 1

  IEFA Training

  June 2024 - Present

• Understanding Sterile Filtration and Integrity Testing in Pharmaceutical Production

  Merck

  January 2024 - Present

• Quality Control and Downstream Processes CSIR-BQ-A1

  CSIR

  January 2024 - Present

• HPLC Certificate of Compliance

  Anatech

  January 2024 - Present

• TRREE Ethics Training Certificate

  TRREE

  January 2024 - Present

• TRREE Good Clinical Practice Certificate

  TRREE

  January 2024 - Present

• Biosciences and Medical Executive Leadership Certificate

  The Innovation Hub

  January 2024 - Present

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Malose Jack Mphahlele, Marole M. Maluleka, Yee Siew Choong, Bernice A. Monchusi, Vusi G. Mbazima(2022). An in vitro study of the 5-methyl- and 5-bromo/chloro substituted 2-hydroxy-3-nitrochalcones as α-glucosidase and/or α-amylase inhibitors with potential anti-inflammatory activity . Medicinal Chemistry Research. 31. (12). p. 2243--2259. Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}

Bernice Monchusi(2022). Synthesis, crystal structures, spectroscopic characterization and in vitro evaluation of the 4-sulfono-3-methoxycinnamaldehydes as potential α-glucosidase and/or α-amylase inhibitors . Journal of Molecular Structure. 1271. p. 134119. Elsevier {BV}

Bernice Monchusi(2022). First steps to success: identification of divergence among the northern and the southern lineages of African Pygmy Kingfisher (Ispidina picta) (Coraciiformes: Alcedinidae) . Journal of Ornithology. 163. (4). p. 931--943. Springer Science and Business Media {LLC}

Bernice Monchusi and Mandeep Kaur(2021). miRNAs as modulators of cholesterol in breast cancer stem cells: an approach to overcome drug resistance in cancer . Current Drug Targets. 22. Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.

Bernice Monchusi and Mandeep Kaur(2020). microRNAs targeting cellular cholesterol: implications for combating anticancer drug resistance . Genes & Cancer. 11. (1-2). p. 20--42. Impact Journals, {LLC}

Bernice Monchusi and Monde Ntwasa.2017. Methyl pyruvate protects a non-cancerous cell line from irinotecan-induced cell death: Potential use as adjunctive to chemotherapy. PLoS ONE, 12 (8): e0182789. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182789 CONFERENCES .