Carlemi Calitz, PhD

Experience

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  Chubb Security

  Jan 2006 - Jan 2007

  File Clerk

  Filling of documentation.Record keeping

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  Botha & Jurgens Incorperated

  Nov 2009 - Jan 2010

  Receptionist

  Record Keeping.Filing of patient records.Dealing with various Medical aids.Communicating with Doctors and Patients, appointment booking.Basic administration.

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  North West University Potchefstroom Campus

  Jan 2011 - Jun 2013

  Administrative: Record and stock keepingOrdering laboratory requirements for undergraduate practical sessions.Liaising with post-graduate students, study supervisors and lectures.Reporting to Management.Health and safety representative:Taking responsibility of all health and safety aspects of various undergraduate laboratories as well as post-graduate laboratories.Hazardous and Biological waste removal.Liaising with the health and safety committee of the Health Science faculty of the North West University.Maintaining various cell cultures: LS 180, HepG2, Caco-2, MDCK and LLC-PK1 cell lines.Assisting and Conducting:In Vitro Toxicity studies - Live/dead assay (in LS180/HepG2/Caco-2/LLC-PK1 cell lines) using flow cytometryIn Vitro Drug transport studies (Caco-2 cell line)In Vitro Trans epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) studies (Caco-2 cell line)Preparation of skin samples, with Zimmer Dermatome, for Skin diffusion studies.Particle size determination by laser diffraction with Malvern.Additional Projects:Bead formulation by means of extrusion spheronization for the Medical Research Counsel (MRC) South-Africa Show less

  • Senior Laboratory Technician

    Dec 2011 - Jun 2013

  • Student Assistant, Faculty Natural Science (Biochemistry)

    Jan 2011 - Dec 2011
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  North-West University / Noordwes-Universiteit

  Jan 2014 - Dec 2018

  As a post-doctoral research fellow, I am responsible for the establishment, characterization and validation of new three-dimensional cancer, toxicity and transformation models by means of the rotating bioreactor technique. Our laboratory also works in collaboration with CelVivo IVS (Odense, Denmark) and the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Odense Denmark. Recently I was invited by Thermo Fischer Scientific and Gibco to host a Webinar based on the work that we do as part of their cancer cell culture heroes project.My responsibilities include:Co-supervision of a M.Sc student in pharmaceutics and serving on the Scientific committee of Pharmaceutics in the Health Sciences Faculty. Maintaining various cell cultures: LS 180, HepG2, Caco-2, MDCK, LLC-PK1, H96V, H96AR H96LX4 HepaRG and HepG2/C3A cell lines.Establishing, maintaining and characterization of 3D spheroid cell culture models using LS180, HepG2/C3A, H96V, H96AR, H96LX4 and HepaRG cell lines.Assisting and Conducting:In Vitro Drug transport studies (Caco-2 cell line) (Transwell plates and USSING chambers)In Vitro Trans epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) studies (Caco-2 cell line)Characterization of 2D cell culture and 3D spheroid models using Xcelligence, Immunohistochemistry, Viability assays, qPCR, proteomics ect.Induction and inhibition bio-transformation studies using traditional African herbal medicine.Determining anti-cancer potential of traditional African herbal medicine.Training post-graduate students in basic cell culturing techniques.Training post-graduate students in three dimensional cell culturing (3D) techniques.Organizing and evaluating practical sessions, practical reports, assignments and exams for undergraduate course requirements. Show less Maintaining various cell cultures: LS 180, HepG2, Caco-2, MDCK, LLC-PK1 and HepG2/C3A cell lines.Assisting and Conducting:In Vitro Drug transport studies (Caco-2 cell line)In Vitro Trans epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) studies (Caco-2 cell line)Training post-graduate students in basic cell culturing techniques.Training post-graduate students in three dimensional cell culturing (3D) techniques.Organizing and evaluating practical sessions, practical reports, assignments and exams for undergraduate course requirements.Particle size determination by laser diffraction with Malvern.Additional projects:Particle size determination as well as stability using the Malvern, of intravenous infusion and nutrition for Fresenius Kabi South-Africa Show less

  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow

    Dec 2017 - Dec 2018

  • Student Assistant, Faculty Health Science (Pharmaceutics)

    Jan 2014 - Nov 2017
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  Uppsala University

  Jan 2019 - Apr 2021

  Postdoctoral Research Fellow

  During my time as post-doctoral research fellow in the group of Dr Femke Heindryckx (Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University), I develop novel three-dimensional cell culture models to study complex tumour stroma interactions in the context of hepatocellular carcinoma. In this context, I developed an HCC model that is based on the basic functional unit of the liver, the liver lobule and the sinusoid. Using the transwell system I created I model consisting out of physiologically relevant hydrogels (collagen and fibrinogen) in concentrations mimicking the progression of liver cancer from fibrosis to cirrhosis. While the model also incorporates three physiologically relevant cell lines; human endothelial cells, and HCC cells co-cultured with stellate cells. This system was developed as a modular system allowing the incorporation of other relevant immune cell types. This model serves as a valuable tool in predicting not only relevant responses to chemotherapeutic drugs but also predicts the occurrence of epithelial to mesenchymal transitions and metastatic potential of HCC. Show less

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  GUTVIBRATIONS

  Apr 2021 - Apr 2025

  Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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  Taylor Wessing

  Apr 2025 - now

  UPC Legal Officer and Patent Advisor