Projects

Dynamics of HIV-1 in recently diagnosed individuals in Botswana in the era of “Treat All”

Determining human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) recent infection can help guide prevention and treatment options for newly HIV-1 diagnosed individuals, as well as help guide new approaches to HIV-1 vaccine design. Although Botswana has a high rate of antiretroviral…

Transcriptional heterogeneity of B cells and the impact on antibody responses in HIV

Despite the availability of effective anti-retroviral drugs and several HIV preventative methods, the prevalence of HIV remains very high, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. This makes the development of a protective HIV vaccine a necessity. For the HIV vaccine to be…

Assessment of COVID-19 among participants in an ongoing phase 1 HIV vaccine trial (HIV CORE 006) in Eastern and Southern Africa

Mumba-Mwangelwa’s research question is, “Will the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic have an impact on safety and immunogenicity endpoints in an ongoing phase 1 HIV vaccine trial (HIV CORE 006)? HIV CORE 006, is a phase 1 HIV vaccine trial that aims…

HIV-1 genome-level analysis of the occurrence and prevalence of transmissible HIV-1 drug resistance mutations in a low-middle income economy setting in Lusaka, Zambia

Mwelwa’s project intends to characterise acquired HIV-1 drug resistance mutations that could impact antiretroviral treatment (ART) and limit the efficacy of prevailing drug regimens in ART naive acute infection. She and her team intend to examine drug driven resistance patterns…

Humoral immune response to non-B HIV-1 infection in children in Cameroon

Despite being an important group of HIV infected individuals, HIV+ children are understudied compared to others, particularly in terms of humoral immune response. Therefore, investigating the humoral immune responses in HIV+ children could generate data that will efficiently contribute to…

Characterising the genetic composition of persistent proviral reservoir cells in adolescents from Botswana living with HIV1-C infection following long-term ART and viral suppression: advancing HIV-1 cure research

Catherine Koofhethile’s current research is setting out to characterise in detail the genetic composition of the proviral reservoir in adolescents from Botswana who acquired HIV-1C perinatally and initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) within the first year of life, on long-term ART…

Mitochondrial profiles of an African HIV-1 pediatric population at the extremes of disease progression

Mitochondrial genetics and HIV infection have a bidirectional interplay; environmental stressors during HIV infection, such as exposure to the virus and antiretroviral therapy (ART), may result in mitochondrial impairment, while mitochondrial genetics may influence the rate of HIV/AIDS progression. Mwesigwa’s…

Determining the diversity of the naive B cell repertoire in African (Kenyan) population

The available reference databases for human immunoglobulin genes are largely based on alleles identified in Caucasian populations, which may not fully capture the allelic diversity of the global community. This limits B-cell analyses, as the accuracy of gene segment identification…

Blood biomarkers that prospectively predict acute HIV-1 infection in high-risk adults

Africa bears the largest burden of HIV-1 transmission. It is not clear whether circulating virus characteristics, genetics, social-behavioural factors or exposure to other infections or some intrinsic biological mechanisms predisposes some individuals to HIV despite similar risk behaviour. In this…

Characterising currently circulating HIV in rural forest areas of Cameroon, where ancestors of HIV-1 have been identified

Despite the tremendous gains made towards ending HIV as a public health threat, the epidemic is still far from over. One of the main reasons is the diversity that the HIV group M (HIV-1M) virus exhibits. This affects both vaccine…