Dr. Joseph Baruch Baluku’s research focuses on respiratory morbidity in Schistosoma mansoni. He will be evaluating lung function, systemic & airway inflammation and respiratory quality of life to derive clinical phenotypes of respiratory morbidity. The work is premised on the fact that the lung is a key organ in the life cycle of the worm and recurrent infections (as the case is in endemic areas) potentially causes repetitive lung injury.
Mathew Odongo
Matthew is an immunology PhD Student at Makerere University and a fellow at the Uganda Schistosomiasis Multidisciplinary Research Centre (U-SMRC).
His research focuses on early life immune responses specifically in Pre-school age children at Lake Albert and Lake Victoria. He believes unraveling immune responses in children as they encounter their first Schistosoma mansoni infections can serve as great way to understand morbidity outcomes later in life. His research work will contribute to the wider efforts of understanding and controlling schistosomiasis.
Davis Kiberu
Davis Kiberu’s research focuses on using bioinformatics to determine whether there is a parasite genetic basis for differences in the severity of schistosomiasis morbidity between Lake Albert and Lake Victoria in Uganda. In addition, Davis is designing a SNP-based amplicon panel design tool to allow for widespread genomic surveillance of Schistosoma mansoni in Uganda. Through his work, Davis aims to contribute to the understanding and management of schistosomiasis in the region.
David Oguttu
David Oguttu’s research will focus on aim three of this study that will investigate genetic diversity of Biomphalaria snail host and their population biological factors responsible for differences in transmission of S. mansoni within and between Lakes Albert and Victoria. His research will explain salient local drivers of schistosomiasis transmission by snails and also evaluate environmental DNA (eDNA) application in S.mansoni surveillance.
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