Anna-Lise Williamson

Anna-Lise Williamson
Education	University of the Witwatersrand Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Virology
Scientific career
Fields	Virology
Thesis	An Electron Microscope and Immunocytochemical Study of Jaagsiekte  (1985)
Website	www.virology.uct.ac.za/vir/staff/anna-lise-williamson

Anna-Lise Williamson FRSSAf MASSAf is a South African virologist. She is a Professor of Virology at the University of Cape Town. ^[1] Her area of expertise is human papillomavirus, but is also known on an international level for her work in developing vaccines for HIV. These vaccines have been introduce in phase 1 of clinical trial. Williamson has published more than 120 papers. ^[2]

Education

Williamson received a PhD at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1985. Her Ph.D. thesis was entitled "An Electron Microscopic and Immunocytochemical Study of Jaagsiekte". ^[3] Williamson was also a fellow at the Royal Society of South Africa ^[4] and at the University of Cape Town. ^[2]

Accomplishments

Anna-Lise Williamson is the Director of University of the Cape Town vaccine Research group GLP. Her area of expertise and what she is best known for is Human Papillomavirus and HIV Vaccines. ^[1]

• Awarded a Chair in Vaccinology 2008 (South African Research Chairs Initiative)
• Head of World Health Organization human papillomavirus Labnet lab for the Africa Region
• Joint Head of University of Cape Town, National Institute for communicable Diseases, and National health Laboratory Service Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory
• Member of the South African HPV Advisory Board ^[2]
• Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa ^[5]

Contributions

Anna-Lise Williamson is the head of the HIV vaccine development and human papilloma research group at the University of Cape Town. There, Williamson and a team of over 30 people are developing vaccines for HIV-1 subtype C virus. This strain is known to be the most Virulent, ^[6] and known to be the principle strain that leads to AIDS.The goal of the investigation is to create affordable and effective HIV-1 C vaccines, ^{[7] [8] [9]} that would increase the longevity of memory T cells and develop a more functional use of the CD4+ and CD8+ cell response. ^[2] Two vaccines have been selected to move forward in clinical trials. These vaccines are DNA vaccines and a modified vaccinia virus Ankara vaccine. The vaccines were developed as part of the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI). ^{[2] [6]}

Selected publications

Anna-Lise Williamson has published over 120 papers. Her publications mainly consists of her area of expertise addressing HIV vaccine development, HIV virus, and HPV virus.

• Marais, D. J.; Constant, D.; Allan, B.; Carrara, H.; Hoffman, M.; Shapiro, S.; Morroni, C.; Williamson, A.-L. (2007). "Cervical Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection and HPV Type 16 Antibodies in South African Women". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 46 (2): 732–739. doi:10.1128/JCM.01322-07. ISSN   0095-1137. PMC   2238115 . PMID   18077644.The purpose of this publication is to identify subtypes of HIV-1 in both homosexual and heterosexual males in the Cape Town, South Africa population. ^[10]
• Shephard, Enid; Burgers, Wendy A.; Van Harmelen, Joanne H.; Monroe, James E.; Greenhalgh, Trish; Williamson, Carolyn; Williamson, Anna-Lise (2008). "A Multigene HIV Type 1 Subtype C Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) Vaccine Efficiently Boosts Immune Responses to a DNA Vaccine in Mice". AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. 24 (2): 207–217. doi:10.1089/aid.2007.0206. ISSN   0889-2229. PMID   18240963.The goal of this publication is to identify the prevalence and risk factors associated with HPV Infection, and HPV-16 antibody in the population of Southern Africa.
• Adler, D.; Bruyn, G. d.; Laher, F.; Gray, G.; Allan, B. R.; Williamson, A.-L. (2008). "Human Papillomavirus Genotype Distribution among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-Infected and Non-HIV-Infected Women in Soweto, South Africa". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 46 (12): 4109–4110. doi:10.1128/JCM.01667-08. ISSN   0095-1137. PMC   2593278 . PMID   18945842.
• Burgers, W. A.; Chege, G. K.; Muller, T. L.; van Harmelen, J. H.; Khoury, G.; Shephard, E. G.; Gray, C. M.; Williamson, C.; Williamson, A.-L. (2009). "Broad, high-magnitude and multifunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses elicited by a DNA and modified vaccinia Ankara vaccine containing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 subtype C genes in baboons". Journal of General Virology. 90 (2): 468–480. doi: 10.1099/vir.0.004614-0 . ISSN   0022-1317. PMID   19141458.
• Marais, Dianne J.; Carrara, Henri; Ramjee, Gita; Kay, Patti; Williamson, Anna-Lise (2009). "HIV-1 seroconversion promotes rapid changes in cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and HPV-16 antibodies in female sex workers". Journal of Medical Virology. 81 (2): 203–210. doi:10.1002/jmv.21343. ISSN   0146-6615. PMID   19107974. S2CID   32432184. ^[1]

References

1. Williamson, Anna-Lise. "The Division of Medical Virology, UCT" . Retrieved 18 February 2016.
2. Williamson, Anna-Lise. "HIV Vaccine development group and Human papilloma virus research group". Institute of infectious disease and molecular medicine. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
3. Payne 1984.
4. "Fellows (FRSSAf)". Royal Society of South Africa. 4 April 2013. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
5. "Members". Academy of Science of South Africa. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
6. SAAVI. "HIV Vaccine info-line 080 Vaccine". South Africa AIDS Initiative. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
7. Williamson, Anna-Lise (2000). "The development of HIV-1 subtype vaccines of SOuthern Africa". IUBMB Life. 53 (4–5): 207–208. doi: 10.1080/15216540212648 . PMID   12120996. S2CID   20297986.
8. Williamson, Carolyn; Rybicki, Edward; Morris, Lynn (2000). "Designing HIV-1 subtype C vaccines for South Africa". South African Journal of Science. 96 (6): 318–323.
9. Jaffray, Ann; Shephard, Enid; Harmelen, Joanne Van; Williamson, Carolyn; Williamson, Anna-Lise; Rybicki, Edward P. (February 2004). "Human Immunodeficiency virus type 1 subtype C Gag virus-like particle boost substantially improves the immune response to subtype C gag DNA vaccine in mice". Journal of General Virology. 85 (2): 409–413. doi: 10.1099/vir.0.19396-0 . PMID   14769898.
10. Harmelen Van, Joanne; Wood, Robin; Lambrick, Maureen; Rybicki P, Edward; Williamson, Anna-Lise; Williamson, Carolyn (11 January 2007). "An association between HIV-1 subtypes and mode of transmission in Cape Town, South Africa". AIDS. 11 (1): 81–87. doi: 10.1097/00002030-199701000-00012 . PMID   9110079. S2CID   33694980.

Sources

• Mckune, Craig. "SA vaccine trials launched, but future funding not secure" (PDF). South African Journal of Science (July/August 2009): 243–244. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
• Payne, Anna-lise (1984). An Electron Microscopic And Immunocytochemical Study Of Jaagsiekte (Ph.D.). University of The Witwatersrand.

External links

• Publications by Anna-Lise Williamson at ResearchGate
• Anna-Lise Williamson's Profile at Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, UCT
• Anna-Lise Williamson's Profile at the Department of Medical Virology, UCT