Unit | Clinical Immunology

One of the greatest achievements in public health has been the development of safe and effective countermeasures against diseases caused by pathogenic microbes. Addressing the continuously evolving challenges of infectious diseases requires not only a deep understanding of microbial biology and pathogenesis, but also an appreciation of the complexity of host immune responses.

Our unit focuses on systems-immunology approaches within the framework of Phase I to III clinical trials. We aim to identify surrogates of protection and host immune factors induced by subunit and whole-parasite vaccines against tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. Clinical trials are conducted in collaboration with our partners at the Ifakara Health Institute in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. In addition, we develop novel diagnostic tools for paediatric clinical TB in high-endemic countries.

Co-morbidity Research

Our co-morbidity studies investigate the impact of non-communicable diseases on immune responses to infectious diseases, particularly TB. We also study the effects of helminth co-infections on the pathogenesis and immunity of malaria, TB and HIV, to better understand how concurrent infections shape immune regulation and disease outcomes.