Pontiano Kaleebu | |
---|---|
Born | 1960 (age 63–64) |
Nationality | Ugandan |
Citizenship | Uganda |
Alma mater | Makerere University (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) University of London (Diploma in Immunology) (Doctor of Philosophy in Immunology) |
Occupation(s) | Physician, Academic Clinical Immunologist HIV/AIDS Researcher and Medical Administrator |
Years active | 1995 – present |
Known for | Professional competence |
Title | Executive Director of Uganda Virus Research Institute |
Pontiano Kaleebu is a Ugandan physician, clinical immunologist, HIV/AIDS researcher, academic and medical administrator, who is the executive director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute. [1]
He also concurrently serves as the director of the joint clinical research unit owned by the Medical Research Council (United Kingdom), the Uganda Virus Research Institute, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, located in Entebbe, Uganda, carrying on research in infectious, non-communicable and neglected diseases. [1] [2]
Pontiano Kaleebu was born in Uganda, circa 1960. [3] He attended Jinja Kaloli Primary School, in Wakiso District, where he obtained his Primary Leaving Certificate. He then transferred to St. Mary's College Kisubi, where he undertook his O-Level studies. He completed his A-Level education at Kampala High School, where he obtained his High School Diploma. [3]
He was admitted to Makerere University School of Medicine, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree in the mid 1980s. He interned at St. Francis Hospital Nsambya, under Dr. Merriam Duggan. [3]
In 1988, Kaleebu was awarded a scholarship to study immunology at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, at Hammersmith Hospital, in West London, in the United Kingdom. He graduated with a Diploma in Immunology. [3]
While in London, he was offered the opportunity to pursue a doctorate in immunology, by the University of London, on scholarship, under Professor Jonathan Weber, at St Mary's Hospital, London. He completed his PhD program in the mid 1990s. [1] [3]
1987, Kaleebu was recruited as a medical research officer at the Uganda Virus Research Institute, by its director, Dr. Sylvester Sempala. Following the completion of his PhD studies, Kaleebu returned to the institute and was appointed as the head of the immunology department. The following year, he joined the joint research programme at the Medical Research Council and the Uganda Virus Research Institute. [3]
Over the years, Dr Kaleebu has become a leading international researcher in the areas of immunology and virology and is a member to the international team that participated the first vaccine trial in Africa against HIV/AIDS. In the late 2000s, he became the director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute in an acting capacity. [3] He was confirmed in that position in the mid-2010s. He is a Professor of immunovirology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. [4]
His main research interests are HIV vaccine research especially understanding HIV diversity and resistance to antiretroviral drugs, as well as the protective immune responses. He is the recipient of numerous Awards including (a) the Scientific Achievement Award from Rotary International, awarded in 2003 (b) the Presidential Science Award 2005/2006 and (c) the Fellowship of Imperial College London, Faculty of Medicine, awarded in 2010 (d) Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh- FRCP Edin 2016 (e) Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences-FMedSci 2020. (f) Fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Science-FUNAS 2021. He has co-authored more than 260 publications in peer reviewed journals. [1] Some of his most cited publications include; Global and regional molecular epidemiology of HIV-1, 1990–2015: a systematic review, global survey, and trend analysis (2019), [5] HIV subtype diversity worldwide (2019), [6] Safety and Immunogenicity of a 2-Dose Heterologous Vaccination Regimen With Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo Ebola Vaccines: 12-Month Data From a Phase 1 Randomized Clinical Trial in Uganda and Tanzania (2019), [7] HIV-1 drug resistance before initiation or re-initiation of first-line antiretroviral therapy in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis (2018), [8] Rare variant in scavenger receptor BI raises HDL cholesterol and increases risk of coronary heart disease (2016), [9] Global epidemiology of drug resistance after failure of WHO recommended first-line regimens for adult HIV-1 infection: a multicentre retrospective cohort study (2016), [10] The African genome variation project shapes medical genetics in Africa (2015), [11] Geographic and Temporal Trends in the Molecular Epidemiology and Genetic Mechanisms of Transmitted HIV-1 Drug Resistance: An Individual-Patient- and Sequence-Level Meta-Analysis (2015), [12] A KIR B centromeric region present in Africans but not Europeans protects pregnant women from pre-eclampsia (2015), [13] Towards host-directed therapies for tuberculosis (2015), [14] Randomised controlled trials for Ebola: practical and ethical issues (2014), [15] Immune activation alters cellular and humoral responses to yellow fever 17D vaccine (2014), [16] Pregnancy, parturition and preeclampsia in women of African ancestry (2014), [17] Discovery and refinement of loci associated with lipid levels (2013), [18] Common variants associated with plasma triglycerides and risk for coronary artery disease (2013), [19] Association of HIV and ART with cardiometabolic traits in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2013), [20] High HIV incidence and socio-behavioral risk patterns in fishing communities on the shores of Lake Victoria, Uganda (2012), [21] HIV and syphilis prevalence and associated risk factors among fishing communities of Lake Victoria, Uganda (2011), [22] Transmitted HIV type 1 drug resistance among individuals with recent HIV infection in East and Southern Africa (2011), [23] CLSI-derived hematology and biochemistry reference intervals for healthy adults in eastern and southern Africa (2009), [24] Safety and immunogenicity of recombinant low-dosage HIV-1 A vaccine candidates vectored by plasmid pTHr DNA or modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) in humans in East Africa (2008), [25] Relation between chemokine receptor use, disease stage, and HIV-1 subtypes A and D: results from a rural Ugandan cohort (2007), [26] The glutamine-rich region of the HIV-1 Tat protein is involved in T-cell apoptosis (2004), [27] Effect of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 envelope subtypes A and D on disease progression in a large cohort of HIV-1—positive persons in Uganda (2002), [28] Relationship between HIV-1 Env subtypes A and D and disease progression in a rural Ugandan cohort (2001), [29] Neutralization serotypes of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 field isolates are not predicted by genetic subtype. The WHO network for HIV isolation and characterization (1996) [30]
He received a medal of service from the government of the Republic of Uganda. [31]
Influenza vaccines, colloquially known as flu shots, are vaccines that protect against infection by influenza viruses. New versions of the vaccines are developed twice a year, as the influenza virus rapidly changes. While their effectiveness varies from year to year, most provide modest to high protection against influenza. Vaccination against influenza began in the 1930s, with large-scale availability in the United States beginning in 1945.
Following infection with HIV-1, the rate of clinical disease progression varies between individuals. Factors such as host susceptibility, genetics and immune function, health care and co-infections as well as viral genetic variability may affect the rate of progression to the point of needing to take medication in order not to develop AIDS.
Immunogenicity is the ability of a foreign substance, such as an antigen, to provoke an immune response in the body of a human or other animal. It may be wanted or unwanted:
HIV superinfection is a condition in which a person with an established human immunodeficiency virus infection acquires a second strain of HIV, often of a different subtype. These can form a recombinant strain that co-exists with the strain from the initial infection, as well from reinfection with a new virus strain, and may cause more rapid disease progression or carry multiple resistances to certain HIV medications.
Vaccine efficacy or vaccine effectiveness is the percentage reduction of disease cases in a vaccinated group of people compared to an unvaccinated group. For example, a vaccine efficacy or effectiveness of 80% indicates an 80% decrease in the number of disease cases among a group of vaccinated people compared to a group in which nobody was vaccinated. When a study is carried out using the most favorable, ideal or perfectly controlled conditions, such as those in a clinical trial, the term vaccine efficacy is used. On the other hand, when a study is carried out to show how well a vaccine works when they are used in a bigger, typical population under less-than-perfectly controlled conditions, the term vaccine effectiveness is used.
Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is a form of tuberculosis caused by bacteria that are resistant to some of the most effective anti-TB drugs. XDR-TB strains have arisen after the mismanagement of individuals with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).
The subtypes of HIV include two main subtypes, known as HIV type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV type 2 (HIV-2). These subtypes have distinct genetic differences and are associated with different epidemiological patterns and clinical characteristics.
As of 2024, a vaccine against Epstein–Barr virus was not yet available. The virus establishes latent infection and causes infectious mononucleosis. There is also increasingly more evidence that EBV may be a trigger of multiple sclerosis. It is a dual-tropic virus, meaning that it infects two different host cell types — in this case, both B cells and epithelial cells. One challenge is that the Epstein–Barr virus expresses very different proteins during its lytic and its latent phases. Antiviral agents act by inhibiting viral DNA replication, but as of 2016, there was little evidence that they are effective against Epstein–Barr virus. They are also expensive, risk causing resistance to antiviral agents, and can cause unpleasant side effects.
The United States Military HIV Research Program was initiated by the United States Congress in 1986, in reaction to the threat of lost effectiveness of U.S./Allied troops due to HIV infection. The mission of MHRP is to develop an HIV-1 vaccine, provide prevention, care, and treatment, and conduct meaningful HIV/AIDS research for the global community through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). It is centered at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), and has established five international research sites in Africa and Asia. MHRP also partners with the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS) in Thailand. MHRP works closely with The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF), most notably in the development of the RV144 HIV vaccine in Thailand. MHRP is the largest research program supported by the HJF.
Elioda Tumwesigye is a Ugandan politician, physician, and epidemiologist who has served as minister of science, technology and innovation in the cabinet of Uganda since June 2016. From March 2015 until June 2016, he served as the minister of health.
Anna-Lise WilliamsonMASSAf is a Professor of Virology at the University of Cape Town. Williamson obtained her PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1985. 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.
Jane Ruth Aceng is a Ugandan pediatrician and politician. She is the Minister of Health in the Cabinet of Uganda. She was appointed to that position on 6 June 2016. Before that, from June 2011 until June 2016, she served as the Director General of Medical Services in the Ugandan Ministry of Health.
Moses R Kamya, is a Ugandan physician, academic, researcher and academic administrator, who serves as Professor and Chair of the Department Medicine, Makerere University School of Medicine, a component of Makerere University College of Health Sciences.
Roy D. Mugerwa was a Ugandan physician, cardiologist and researcher. His contribution to the world of academics include being a Professor Emeritus at Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, cardiology in Uganda, researching HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and his efforts to find an effective HIV vaccine.
Alash'le Grace Abimiku is a Nigerian executive director of the International Research Centre of Excellence at the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria and a professor of virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who takes interest in the prevention and treatment of HIV.
Robert Steffen is an Emeritus Professor at the Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Switzerland and an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Public in Houston. He is an editor of the Journal of Travel Medicine.
Kimberly A. Powers is an American epidemiologist who is an associate professor of epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She combines epidemiology, statistics and mathematical modelling to understand the transmission of infectious diseases. In 2011 her work on antiretroviral therapy for the management of human immunodeficiency virus was selected by Science as the breakthrough of the year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Powers looked to understand the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
Fred Mhalu is a microbiologist and medical researcher from Tanzania. His main area of study revolves around infectious diseases and intervention. Ever since 1986, he has been a main contributor to the information about AIDS in Africa. As a co-coordinator of a Tanzanian-Swedish research collaboration called TANSWED, he was involved in many research projects that lead to multiple publications in medical journals. His more recent research on HIV/AIDS involves studying breast cancer in HIV prevalent areas, evaluating prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV-1, and observing sexual behaviors of high risk populations for HIV-1.
A viral vector vaccine is a vaccine that uses a viral vector to deliver genetic material (DNA) that can be transcribed by the recipient's host cells as mRNA coding for a desired protein, or antigen, to elicit an immune response. As of April 2021, six viral vector vaccines, four COVID-19 vaccines and two Ebola vaccines, have been authorized for use in humans.
Godefridus Johannes Petrus "Frits" van Griensven is a pioneering Dutch scientist in epidemiology, sociology and public health. Most of his work is on addressing the HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men and other HIV key populations.