Scholarship / THE WAR WITHIN OUR BODY, I need help with my study plan for my application for KGSP [3]

Hello, i am planning on applying for the Korean government scholarship for my masters degree and i have been working on my essays, here is the study plan i tried to come up with, please i want your critical review of it. Many thanks and God bless

combats for health

My curiosity for what diseases are and how the body combats them, how some people successfully combat and some don't, all started when my mum developed lump in her breast, it was a devastating period for us, I tried to understand what caused her pain by asking questions from inexperienced elders and family members, but their responses did little in satisfying my curiosity. In a quest for better understanding, I studied science in high school, it was still not enough. This impelled me to study Microbiology during my undergraduate study, I was exposed to the fascinating world of microorganisms and the trend of how they play a major role in causing diseases.

As a six month intern at the Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory and Technology, I was exposed to the practical aspect of molecular biology where I experienced DNA extraction and analysis, Polymerase chain reaction, Agarose gel electrophoeresis. My interest in the molecular approach to diseases could be attributed to the exposure gained as an intern at the institute.

I am mostly fascinated about the immune system and viruses, their mechanism of replication, growth, evasion from the hosts immune responses and how they hijack the hosts replicative cycle. I would like to carry out a molecular investigation of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and its transmission via direct zoonosis and human to human transmission.

MERS is a viral respiratory infection causing fever, cough, expectoration, shortness of breath, myalgia, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain. MERS can range from asymptomatic disease in some patients to severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndromr (ARDS), kidney failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and pericarditis in some. MERS is caused by the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome- Corona virus (MERS-CoV). It is a single stranded RNA virus belonging to the genus betacoronavirus. Its genome is classified into two clades, Clades A clusters (EMC/2012 and Jordan-N3/2012) while Clade B are new cases that are genetically different in general. MERS-CoV is transmitted through direct zoonosis from camel to humans and through human to human transmission. The most common mood of transmission is through human to human so I would like to carry out a study which investigates the molecular consitituents of the virus itself and its relationship, transmission from the vector to the human and animal host.

To achieve this, a serology test; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection and an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) for confirmation and a molecular test, (real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR)) would be carried out on specimens obtained from the lower (bronchalveolar lavage, sputum and tracheal aspirates) and upper (nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs) respiratory samples, serum, and stool specimens which would be obtained from hospitals or directly from patients, camels who have had contact with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome- Corona virus (MERS-CoV). The serology test would detect previous infection by detecting antibodies to MERS-CoV and the molecular test would establish the presence of active infection. Our findings would add to an already rich and illustrious database of scientific research and could be the basis for the formulation and development of new drugs.