Hosted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Wealth Okete⁠⁠⁠⁠, The Immunology in Africa Podcast explores narratives at the nexus of immunology & Africa. We ask professors, postdocs, PhD students, and everyone in between to tell us about their journey into immunology, the questions driving their current work, and the impact they hope to make on the continent.

To support our efforts towards amplifying African stories of immunology, you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buy us coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nominate a guest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Launching in April 2025, our special TB Immunology series and first-ever disease-focused series dives deep into the science, challenges, and success stories behind the fight to end tuberculosis.

We’re joined by leading scientists whose work in TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and vaccine development is shaping the current landscape of the disease in Africa and globally.

Whether you're actively involved in TB research or simply curious about the field, this experience promises to be both eye-opening and engaging.

The fourth episode in the series features Solomon Jauro, a veterinarian and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, where he studies tuberculosis in non-human primates (macaque models).

Solomon trained as a veterinarian and obtained his master's degree at the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria, before proceeding to the University of Pretoria, South Africa, for his PhD.

Unlike previous guests, Solomon's work on TB only took off during his postdoctoral fellowship, as his earlier work had focused on antimicrobial resistance and vaccine immune responses.

In this episode, Solomon talks about how his work on macaques co-infected with TB and simian immunodeficiency virus, SIV (a HIV-like virus) could shape current understanding of human TB-HIV coinfection. Overall, his research explores how different routes of BCG administration could confer enhanced protection against TB in immunocompromised macaque models. In addition to sharing what it'd take for his findings to be translated into humans, he also reflected on why African institutions should create structures that foster collaboration, particularly among young scientists.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:13 - MSc/PhD project; getting into TB

02:03 - More on PhD project: anthrax vaccines

05:25 - Macaques as 'ideal' models for understanding human TB

08:51 - TB-SIV co-infection in macaques

10:32 - Evaluating TB/HIV immune responses from intravenous vs intradermal BCG administration I

16:33 - BCG'osis in humans

18:09 - Evaluating TB/HIV immune responses from intravenous vs intradermal BCG administration II

21:48 - SIV viral load and BCG-induced TB protection

29:24 - Attenuated BCG for juvenile macaques

32:08 - Translating findings from macaque models to human patients

32:56 - Does BCG'osis associate with vaccination routes?

36:00 - If not TB, then what?

38:00 - Closing remarks: how African institutions can foster collaboration among scientists

41:20 - Outro

Hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Wealth Okete⁠⁠⁠, The Immunology in Africa Podcast explores narratives at the nexus of immunology & Africa. We ask professors, postdocs, PhD students, and everyone in between to tell us about their journey into immunology, the questions driving their current work, and the impact they hope to make on the continent.

To support our efforts towards amplifying African stories of immunology, you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠buy us coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠nominate a guest⁠⁠⁠⁠.

--

Launching in April 2025, our special TB Immunology series and first-ever disease-focused series dives deep into the science, challenges, and success stories behind the fight to end tuberculosis.

We’re joined by leading scientists whose work in TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and vaccine development is shaping the current landscape of the disease in Africa and globally.

Whether you're actively involved in TB research or simply curious about the field, this experience promises to be both eye-opening and engaging.

The third episode in the series features Paul Ogongo, an assistant professional researcher and former postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco.

Originally from Kenya, Paul trained in his home country and South Africa before moving to UCSF for a postdoctoral position. His work has mostly explored T cell responses to TB, highlighting the roles of an important immune cell regulator, IL-17, in the control or progression of the disease.

At UCSF, Paul's investigation of T cell-associated immune responses to TB seeks to unravel distinct antigens that could improve future vaccine design against TB. Till date, BCG remains the only approved vaccine against TB; although several other potential candidates are in clinical trials.

In this episode, Paul shares key highlights from his work on TB antigens and the promise they hold for design of vaccines that could prevent TB disease progression. He also reflects on some of his experiences with failure and the key advances he anticipates in TB immunology over the next decade.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:39 - Unravelling the TB spectrum (active TB vs. subclinical TB; TB exposure vs. TB control)

08:02 - On why 'latent TB' isn't truly 'latent'

09:15 - Investigating active TB (PhD research project and findings)

16:09 - Studying TB at the lungs vs in blood

20:09 - Evaluating T cell responses to rare variable antigens (findings and implications)

32:04 - TB in diabetic individuals

36:22 - Dealing with failure

41:49 - Closing remarks: TB immunology over the coming decade

46:43 - Outro

Hosted by ⁠⁠Wealth Okete⁠⁠, The Immunology in Africa Podcast explores narratives at the nexus of immunology & Africa. We ask professors, postdocs, PhD students, and everyone in between to tell us about their journey into immunology, the questions driving their current work, and the impact they hope to make on the continent.

To support our efforts towards amplifying African stories of immunology, you can ⁠⁠⁠buy us coffee⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠nominate a guest⁠⁠⁠.

--

Launching in April 2025, our special TB Immunology series and first-ever disease-focused series dives deep into the science, challenges, and success stories behind the fight to end tuberculosis.

We’re joined by leading scientists whose work in TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and vaccine development is shaping the current landscape of the disease in Africa and globally.

Whether you're actively involved in TB research or simply curious about the field, this experience promises to be both eye-opening and engaging.

The second episode in the series features Simon Kimuda, a postdoctoral researcher in the Doores Lab at Kings College London. His work has largely focused on understanding antibody responses to tuberculosis, an area of research which remains underexplored in the field.

Simon leverages techniques in immunology and molecular biology to understand immune correlates of protection and inform the design of novel vaccines against respiratory conditions such as tuberculosis and hantavirus infections.

Outside of research, he actively contributes to mentorship and career development initiatives, enabling access to career growth opportunities for young scientists.

This episode explores Simon's journey in TB immunology, particularly antibodies, which has spanned more than a decade and earned him a Crick African Network Fellowship. Simon also talks about why we should pay more attention to TB stigma and embrace new paradigms to understanding TB.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:29 - Earliest steps in science and immunology

04:15 - Working with TB

09:30 - Heterologous (non-TB) antibody responses in people with active TB

15:02 - More on TB antibody responses | affinity and avidity

17:10 - Antibody responses in TB vaccines: BCG and future vaccines

23:45 - Crick African Network Fellowship | TB growth inhibition; antibody responses to TB surface sugars

31:11 - Linking current postdoctoral research on hantaviruses and interest in TB

36:50 - What's next, if funding was not a limitation

39:55 - What current TB paradigms need to change in Africa

44:45 - Closing remarks | The importance of mentorship

46:27 - Outro