Liz Appelt built on her work as a doctoral student in Chemical and Biological Engineering through her experiences in the Biotechnology Training Program (BTP).
In 2022, Appelt completed an internship at Afrigen Biologics Vaccines, a company in Cape Town, South Africa co-founded by Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) CEO Erik Iverson. The company performs product development, bulk manufacturing, and supply and distribution of key biologics to address unmet health care needs. Appelt’s internship came at a critical moment in the COVID-19 pandemic. Through her internship, she was able to support Afrigen staff who were readying the facility to make COVID vaccines regionally available. You can read more about Appelt’s experience here.
Appelt’s internship opened the door for a new relationship between BTP, the Department of Biochemistry, WARF, University of Wisconsin-Madison Global Health Institute, and Afrigen. In 2023, BTP director and Department of Biochemistry chair Brian Fox and Jorge Osorio, director of the Global Health Institute, accompanied Iverson to South Africa to explore joint academic and research opportunities. Read more about Appelt’s internship and this growing partnership here.