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Nicholas Bbosa is a PhD fellow in Molecular Virology with
particular interest in the use of phylogenetics/phylogeography,
Molecular Epidemiology and mathematical modelling to delineate
the molecular basis of HIV-1 transmission dynamics among fisher
folk communities and other key populations in Uganda. My
research involves utilizing a wide range of bioinformatics
techniques to analyse sequence data generated by both population
and next generation sequencing techniques to answer research
questions and applying mathematical models to simulate
transmission events/predict intervention outcomes.
Simon Kimuda Gwape is a PhD research fellow funded by MUII
plus. His degree is registered at Makerere University College of
Health Sciences (MakCHS) and he is currently in his third year
of study. Simon’s interests lie in the field of tuberculosis (TB)
immunology and more so in the largely neglected area of
humoral immunity. During his MSc studies, he investigated
antibody responses in people with TB and their household
contacts in order to identify biomarkers of infection as well as
disease. His PhD research delves further into the subject of antibody-mediated immunity and
attempts to understand why antibodies in TB are associated with disease burden rather than with
protection. These studies may provide information that will be important in the development of new
vaccines against TB, a disease that is responsible for many deaths in Uganda.
Gyaviira completed a Bachelors degree in Biochemistry from
Makerere University and a Masters in Immunology of Infectious
Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine, where he is also currently registered as PhD student. His
research career has thus far revolved around assessing the
importance of the immunomodulating effects of chronic
infections for human health. He first joined Professor Elliott's
group in 2008 as an undergraduate intern, before returning in
2010 as laboratory staff working on a project assessing the
correlates of immunity and the influence of co-infections on
protection against infection with TB following BCG immunisation
at birth. At the same time, he was also involved in other on-going studies on malaria, helminths and
allergy related diseases, among others. During his Masters degree from 2013-2014, Gyaviira gained
a keen interest in host-parasite immunological interactions. On his return to Prof. Elliott’s group, he
joined the team researching the associations between helminths and allergy-related outcomes and
the mechanisms underlying these associations. This was the basis for his application to the African
Partnership for Chronic Disease Research (APCDR), which funded him to pursue PhD studies aimed
at exploring these mechanisms further.
Moses work investigates B- and T-cell responses to
novel Schistosoma mansoni skin-stage antigens. The skin is our body's
first line of defence against pathogens including helminths such as S.
mansoni. On entry into the skin, the larva of this blood fluke loses its
protective glycocalyx coat and is subsequently vulnerable to antibodymediated immune responses. We hypothesise that S. mansoni skinstage antigens larvae are recognised by human antibodies and T cells,
induce cytokine production by peripheral blood cells of infected
individuals and these responses are associated with resistance to
reinfection.
This work has great potential to contribute to the search of the elusive schistosomiasis vaccine.
Moses has vast experience in laboratory-based research. He has worked as a research assistant for
a PhD Student in a Kampala TB Immunology study of household contacts at the Department of
Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences Makerere University. He also worked as a
laboratory technologist for TheSchistoVac project to develop novel vaccine candidates for a
vaccine against schistosomiasis. He is still involved in other projects within Prof. Alison Elliott's
laboratory at Uganda Virus Research Institute such as studies to determine cellular responses to
Sudan Ebolavirus antigens in Ugandan survivors and infant immune responses to tuberculosis
using flow cytometry. My research area is mainly infection and immunity. Research interests include
infectious diseases such as Schistosomiasis and TB, parasitology (particularly helminthology), and
multicolor flow cytometry.