Christine Gatt

Ms Christine Gatt obtained her BSc(Hons) in Medical Laboratory Science in 2005. Her research focused on determining the optimum conditions for the isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, where as a result, sampling and culturing of genitourinary specimens have been changed and optimised. She then started working as a biomedical scientist at the Bacteriology Laboratory at Mater Dei Hospital in 2007, where she is still working to this day. In 2017, she obtained a Masters Degree in Biomedical Science specialising in Medical Microbiology with the University of Ulster. She focused her research on the optimum identification and sensitivity testing of Campylobacter spp. With this research, PCR testing from stool samples was introduced at Mater Dei Hospital providing an earlier diagnosis to patients. In 2020, she started her PhD in Applied Biomedical Science at the University of Malta, where she is focusing her research on the microbiome of diabetic foot ulcers with a special interest in space bioscience. She also forms part of the NASA Genelab Microbes Analysis Working Group meeting monthly to discuss latest developments and science in the field. She has now already sent two missions to the International Space Station with the next one launched on the 15th of March 2023 bring the total number of missions to three.