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Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa)

Selected publications  |  Contact details  |  Group members  |  Collaborations

Senior Group Leader at The Francis Crick Institute, London; and Wellcome Senior Fellow in Clinical Science at Imperial College London [both posts seconded to the University of Cape Town]; Director, Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa); Group leader and Director, Crick African Network; and Member, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine; Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town

Robert J. Wilkinson's interests are focused on clinical and immunological aspects of tuberculosis, particularly in the context of HIV-1 infection.

HIV and TB are the most pressing public health problems in Africa: in South Africa, many hundreds of people still die prematurely per day because of HIV, many due to co-existent TB. The epidemiology and clinical features of HIV associated TB are well researched, but few studies have addressed in detail the cellular mechanisms. His research programme derives its research questions from the clinical care of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV-TB co-infected persons in South Africa and London. Through clinically-based studies, they aim to improve knowledge of pathogenesis and thereby improve prevention and treatment. Projects underway at present include the following:

How can tuberculosis infection in HIV infected people be more effectively prevented?

By what immune mechanisms do preventive therapies decrease susceptibility to TB?

What is the cause and best management of the HIV-Tuberculosis-associated Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome? This project is led by Professor Graeme Meintjes, Professor and Infectious Diseases Physician, CIDRI-Africa, UCT.

What is the pathogenesis of tuberculous pericarditis?

How does HIV infection influence the immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lung?

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Selected publications:

Stucki, D., Brites, D., Jeljeli, L., Coscolla, M., Liu, Q., Trauner, A., Fenner, L., Rutaihwa, L., Borrell, S., Luo, T., Gao, Q., Kato-Maeda, M., Ballif, M., Egger, M., Macedo, R., Mardassi, H., Moreno, M., Vilanova, G.T., Fyfe, J., Globan, M., Thomas, J., Jamieson, F., Guthrie, J.L., Asante-Poku, A., Yeboah-Manu, D., Wampande, E., Ssengooba, W., Joloba, M., Boom, W.H., Basu, I., Bower, J., Saraiva, M., Vasconcellos, S.E.G., Suffys, P., Koch, A., Wilkinson, R., Gail-Bekker, L., Malla, B., Ley, S.D., Beck, H.-P., De Jong, B.C., Toit, K., Sanchez-Padilla, E., Bonnet, M., Gil-Brusola, A., Frank, M., Penlap Beng, V.N., Eisenach, K., Alani, I., Ndung'U, P.W., Revathi, G., Gehre, F., Akter, S., Ntoumi, F., Stewart-Isherwood, L., Ntinginya, N.E., Rachow, A., Hoelscher, M., Cirillo, D.M., Skenders, G., Hoffner, S., Bakonyte, D., Stakenas, P., Diel, R., Crudu, V., Moldovan, O., Al-Hajoj, S., Otero, L., Barletta, F., Carter, E.J., Diero, L., Supply, P., Comas, I., Niemann, S., Gagneux, S. Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineage 4 comprises globally distributed and geographically restricted sublineages. Nature Genetics (2016) 48(12):1535-1543

Esmail, H., Lai, R.P., Lesosky, M., Wilkinson, K.A., Graham, C.M., Coussens, A.K., Oni, T., Warwick, J.M., Said-Hartley, Q., Koegelenberg, C.F., Walzl, G., Flynn, J.L., Young, D.B., Barry, C.E., O'Garra, A., Wilkinson, R.J. Characterization of progressive HIV-associated tuberculosis using 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission and computed tomography. Nature Medicine (2016) 22(10):1090-1093

Lai, RPJ; Meintjes, G; Wilkinson, KA; Graham, CM; Marais, S; Van der Plas, H; Deffur, A; Schutz, C; Bloom, C; Munagala, I; Anguiano, E; Goliath, R; Maartens, G; Banchereau, J; Chaussabel, D; O'Garra, A and Wilkinson, RJ. HIV-tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome is characterized by Toll-like receptor and inflammasome signalling. Nature Communications (2015) 6, 8451

Coussens, AK; Naude, CE; Goliath, R; Chaplin, G; Wilkinson, RJ and Jablonski, NG. High-dose vitamin D₃ reduces deficiency caused by low UVB exposure and limits HIV-1 replication in urban Southern Africans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2015) 112, 8052-8057

Anderson, S.T.B., Kaforou, M., Brent, A., Wright, V.J., Banwell, C.M., Chagaluka, G., Crampin, A.C., Dockrell, H.M., French, N., Hamilton, M.S., Hibberd, M.L., Kern, F., Langford, P.R., Ling, L., Mlotha, R., Ottenhoff, T.H.M., Pienaar, S., Pillay, V., Scott, J.A.G, Twahir, H., Wilkinson, R.J., Coin, L.J., Heyderman, R.S., Levin, M., Eley, B. Diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis and host RNA expression in Africa. New England Journal of Medicine (2014) 370:1712-23

Martineau, A.R., Nhamoyebonde, S., Oni, T., Rangaka, M.X., Marais, S., Bangani, N., Tsekela, R., Bashe, L., de Azevedo, V., Caldwell, J., Venton, T.R., Timms, P., Wilkinson, K.A., Wilkinson, R.J. Reciprocal seasonal variation in vitamin D status and tuberculosis notifications in Cape Town, South Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (2011) 108(47):19013-7

Berry, M.P.R., Graham, C.M., McNab, F.W., Xu, Z., Bloch, S.J., Oni, T., Wilkinson, K.A., Banchereau, R., Skinner, J., Wilkinson, R.J., Quinn, C., Blankenship, D., Dhawan, R., Cush, J.J., Mejias, A., Ramilo, O., Kon, O.M., Pascual, V., Banchereau, J., Chaussabel, D., and O'Garra, A. An Interferon-Inducible Neutrophil-Driven blood transcriptional signature in Human Tuberculosis. Nature (2010) 466: 973-977

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Contact details:

Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa)
Room 3.3.05, Wolfson Pavilion
Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Cape Town
Observatory 7925
South Africa

Tel:  +27 21 406 6084
Fax: +27 21 406 6796

Email: robert.wilkinson@uct.ac.za
r.j.wilkinson@imperial.ac.uk
robert.wilkinson@crick.ac.uk

Alternate sites:https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/a-z-researchers/researchers-v-y/robert-j-wilkinson/
www.cidri.uct.ac.za

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Group members:

Postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows
Dr	Abhimanyu	Abhimanyu	Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr	Du Bruyn	Elsa	Doctoral student
Ms	Goliath	Rene	Masters student
Mr	Moseki	Moeketsi Raymond	Doctoral Student
Mr	Ndengane	Mthawelanga	Doctoral Student
Dr	Peton	Nashied	Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr	Seeger	Allison	Postdoctoral Fellow
Ms	Sibiya	Nomfundo	Doctoral student
Staff
Ms	Bam	Veronica	Research Nurse
Dr	Berkowitz	Natacha	Research Medical Officer
Dr	Coussens	Anna	Senior Lecturer in Pathology
Dr	Du Bruyn	Elsa	Research Medical Officer
Dr	Esmail	Hanif	Honorary Research Associate, UK
Ms	Gobe	Nonceba	Clinical Research Worker
Ms	Goliath	Rene	Projects Co-ordinator
Ms	Jackson	Amanda	Data Systems Manager
Mrs	January	Vanessa	Lab Manager
Mr	Kwaza	Bekekile	Clinical Research Worker
Mr	Lakay	Francisco	Senior Technical Officer
Ms	Letswalo	Kgothatso	Laboratory Technologist
Ms	Mashinyira	Antoneta	Data Control Co-ordinator
Ms	Mayiya	Mpume	Clinical Research Worker
Ms	McMaster	Meagan	Senior Data Capturer
Ms	Modolo	Khuthazwa	Research Nurse
Mrs	Morar	Tania	Part time Pharmacist
Mrs	Morey	Erika	Administrative Assistant
Dr	Mukasa	Sandra	Research Medical Officer
Ms	Ngcuka	Thembisa	Clinical Research Worker
Mrs	Omar-Davies	Nashreen	Radiographer
Dr	Rangaka	Molebogeng	Honorary Research Associate, UK
Dr	Riou	Catherine	Senior Research Officer
Dr	Rockwood	Neesha	Honorary Research Associate, UK
Ms	Ruzive	Sheena	Laboratory Technologist
Mr	Sindelo	Sicelo	Research Nurse
Dr	Sossen	Bianca	Medical Research Officer
Ms	Thamae	Goitseone	Technical Officer
Dr	Thienemann	Friedrich	Senior Research Medical Officer
Mrs	Van Wyhe	Pamela	Assistant Nurse
Hon. A/Prof	Wilkinson	Katalin	Senior Scientist, Associate Professor
Ms	Wood	Kathryn	Centre Operations Manager
Mrs	Worship	Celeste	Data Capturer

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Collaborations:

Anne O'Garra, NIMR, UK

Clifton Earl Barry III, National Institutes of Health

Helen McShane, Oxford University

Alan Sher, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA

Jo-Anne Flynn, University of Pittsburgh, USA

Robert S Heyderman, University College London, UK

Gary Maartens, Division of Pharmacology and IDM, UCT

Bongani Mayosi, Department of Medicine and IDM, UCT

Farm Animals Silouette Drawing Pictures

Source: http://www.idm.uct.ac.za/Robert_Wilkinson

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