Clinical Immunology |
One of the greatest successes in public health is based on the development of safe and effective countermeasures against human diseases caused by pathogenic microbes. Meeting these constantly evolving challenges by infectious diseases requires not only an understanding of microbial biology and pathogenesis but also an appreciation of the complexity of host immune responses. Next generation vaccines to reduce the global burden of Tuberculosis and Malaria require research on the specific immunologic interplay between these microbes and their human hosts.
Our group is focusing on human immunology studies conducted within the framework of vaccine trials, novel diagnostic test development, clinical interventions and naturally acquired immune responses during co-morbidity studies.
Testing novel interventions against Tuberculosis and Malaria is performed with our partners of the Ifakara Health Institute in Bagamoyo.
Current projects:
- Evaluation of new and emerging diagnostics for childhood tuberculosis in high burden countries (TB CHILD)
- Phase II Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of H1/IC31®, an adjuvanted TB Subunit Vaccine, in HIV-Infected Adults with CD4+ Lymphocyte Counts Greater than 350 cells/mm3
- Dissecting the Immunological Interplay between Poverty Related Diseases and Helminth Infections: An African-European Research Initiative (IDEA)
- Ancillary Immunology studies to the Phase III malaria vaccine RTS,S trial
- Controlled human malaria infection studies by injection of Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites (PfSPZ Challenge) in Tanzanian volunteers
- Co-occurrence of tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus in Sub-Saharan Africa: an epidemiological and immunological study