How Bebe Simelane’s summer research is fueling her passion for science

Belusi (Bebe) Simelane’s summer working in a pharmaceutical science lab is providing her with key experience and opportunities that will support the next steps of her education.

“This experience has definitely given me the confidence that I’m capable of performing research, whether that’s for my upcoming thesis project, graduate education or working in industry,” says Simelane, an international student from South Africa in her final year of the pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmacology programs. “Learning how to use and apply these molecular biology techniques is going to equip me to work in research so I can contribute to improving understanding of different disease mechanisms.”

During her third year of the pharmaceutical chemistry program, Simelane wanted to gain practical experience in a research lab using the techniques and approaches she was learning in her courses. She began working in Professor Tim Corson’s lab at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy in January, drawn to his team’s research that uses a range of molecular and chemical biology techniques to study and discover new drugs for eye diseases.

Simelane began working with PhD student Mohammed Ayan Chhipa on a project examining how a small molecule the group is studying treats the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, a condition where abnormal blood vessels grow in the back of the eye, resulting in the loss of central vision. The molecule has been shown to reduce this blood vessel growth. Chhipa and Simelane are working on a project to study how this molecule inhibits the proteins required for blood vessel growth. A better understanding of the mechanism will ultimately help in designing more effective drugs for this condition.

Simelane says that she was enjoying her time in the lab and was welcomed by the Corson team, so she was happy to continue working on the project during the summer through the Undergraduate Summer Research Program (USRP).

“In class, you learn about how techniques spanning chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology work, but to actually see how these tests are applied to answer research questions really fascinated me,” she says.

“I feel like I'm broadening what it means to be in the pharmaceutical chemistry program and exploring another aspect of chemistry and pharmacology that aligns with my interests in health research.”

“I thought it was very cool being able to observe chemistry theory behind the techniques the Corson lab uses in their field of molecular biology – it’s a different area of research, but it’s related. I feel like I'm broadening what it means to be in the pharmaceutical chemistry program and exploring another aspect of chemistry and pharmacology that aligns with my interests in health research.”

Seminars expose students to artificial intelligence in pharmaceutical science

While students participating in the USRP spend the summer conducting research under the supervision of a Pharmaceutical Sciences faculty member, they also attend seminars every week featuring researchers from across the Faculty. These presentations expose students to the broad range of research – drug discovery, clinical and administrative – that takes place at the Faculty.

In a recent presentation, Frantz Le Devedec, a senior staff scientist with the Acceleration Consortium, introduced the students to artificial intelligence (AI) and automation in pharmaceutical sciences. Le Devedec works in one of the consortium’s self-driving labswith Christine Allen and Frank Gu, and supervises a team of researchers and students using automation and AI to accelerate formulation development for pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and industrial and agriculture applications.

During the presentation, Le Devedec spoke about how AI, machine learning and automation are integrated and their benefits in pharmaceutical research, such as time savings, standardization and efficiency, as well as reducing materials required and exposure to harmful chemicals. He also discussed some of the current challenges of the adoption and use of AI and machine learning in formulation development and limits to their implementation, as well as how self-driving labs can potentially overcome those limitations.

“My goal was to get them excited about these emerging technologies and break the ice so they can start to become familiar with these powerful tools,” says Le Devedec. “Students likely won’t need to know how to engineer the technology or deep coding algorithms, but it’s important for them to become aware of it and to understand the strategies and how to use them in pharmaceutical research. They can be at the interface of the technology and its practical use.”

Simelane says that some of her courses have explored the same topic, and she says the presentation underscored the complexity – and utility – of AI to improve drug discovery and optimization.

“I'm grateful for that presentation and the opportunity to learn more about AI and its complexity,” she says. “The pharmaceutical chemistry program and USRP do a good job of introducing AI and helping us understand that it’s definitely in our reach to be able to pursue this path.”

USRP helped Simelane overcome feelings of imposter syndrome

Simelane’s participation in the USRP is being supported by a Student Life and Learning Award for Black and Indigenous students. Simelane says that there are often very few or no other Black women in her chemistry courses, and though she has felt welcome at U of T and especially in the Corson lab, she says that these awards for underrepresented populations are essential to make science more diverse and show students from these groups that they belong.

“It’s one thing to be accepted into a program and work in a research lab, but it’s another thing to know that other people recognize your effort to be at U of T and want you in these spaces,” she says. “It means a lot that the university and Faculty actively support initiatives to improve equity, diversity and inclusion for underrepresented groups in their organizational culture. To receive this award and be recognized for my academic achievement has definitely affirmed a sense of belonging.”

As she enters her final year of her undergraduate degree, Simelane is beginning to plan for the next steps of her education, which will likely include graduate studies in chemistry. In the long term, she plans to return to South Africa and aims to use her education and experience to strengthen the infrastructure of fundamental research in her home country and improve the inclusion of Africa more broadly in scientific discourse and drug discovery. The USRP and her experience in the Corson lab have been key to helping her gain the experience that will allow her to pursue her educational goals and see herself as a scientist.

“When you don’t see yourself represented in science, it’s hard to imagine where you can go in your career and what it means to be a Black female scientist. But with the USRP and Corson lab, I’m doing science right now, and that has definitely helped with overcoming the imposter syndrome.”

“You work hard, get good grades and perform your best, but actually calling yourself a scientist is a whole different story. When you don’t see yourself represented in science, it’s hard to imagine where you can go in your career and what it means to be a Black female scientist,” she says. “But with the USRP and Corson lab, I’m doing science right now, and that has definitely helped with overcoming the imposter syndrome.

“I belong here. And I’m very grateful to the department of chemistry, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Dr. Corson for giving me the space to step into this role and show myself that I can do it.”