Bioscience

Biography

I completed my D.Phil in Immunology and Translational medicine from the University of Oxford in 2014. Later i joined the Translational Gastroenterology Unit at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine. Here I worked on a project trying to find the link between Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) that affects the liver, specifically whether the Immunological drivers of IBD also drive or exacerbate PSC. Later I moved to KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Program, to undertake a post-doctoral position in Immunology within the CHAIN Network. I have focused on understanding how the immune system in children is altered by adverse situations such as undernutrition occurring alone or in the presence of prevailing illness.

Current Work

Childhood acute Illness & Nutrition Network (CHAIN) is an international network of health professionals drawn from various institutions across the globe. Focus areas: Childhood Illness & Nutrition, Nutritional Immunology, Epidemiology, Enteric function, Pathogen biology Group research description. Young children (<5 years) living in low & middle-income countries are at an increased risk of illnesses that lead to hospitalisations and death. The CHAIN network focuses on identifying and understanding the risk factors (biological & social) that drive vulnerabilities in young children in resource poor settings particularly in Africa and Asia. The ultimate goal is to identify modifiable risk factors that can be targeted for various interventions to mitigate poor outcomes and improve child health and survival.

Collaborations

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Project Research

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Publications

A metabolic perspective of the neutrophil life cycle: new avenues in immunometabolism.
Thind, M. K., Uhlig, H. H., Glogauer, M., Palaniyar, N., Bourdon, C., Gwela, A., Lancioni, C. L., Berkley, J. A., Bandsma, R. H. J., Farooqui, A.
Front Immunol, (2023). 14:1334205

Cessation of exclusive breastfeeding and seasonality, but not small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, are associated with environmental enteric dysfunction: A birth cohort study amongst infants in rural Kenya.
Crane, R. J., Parker, E. P. K., Fleming, S., Gwela, A., Gumbi, W., Ngoi, J. M., de Laurent, Z. R., Nyatichi, E., Ngari, M., Wambua, J., Uhlig, H. H., Berkley, J. A.
EClinicalMedicine, (2022). 47:101403

Toll-Like Receptor-Induced Immune Responses During Early Childhood and Their Associations With Clinical Outcomes Following Acute Illness Among Infants in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Uebelhoer, L. S., Gwela, A., Thiel, B., Nalukwago, S., Mukisa, J., Lwanga, C., Getonto, J., Nyatichi, E., Dena, G., Makazi, A., Mwaringa, S., Mupere, E., Berkley, J. A., Lancioni, C. L.
Front Immunol, (2021). 12:748996

Plasma calprotectin as a biomarker of mortality at antiretroviral treatment initiation in advanced HIV - pilot study.
Kamau, F. W., Gwela, A., Nyerere, A. K., Riitho, V., Njunge, J. M., Ngari, M. M., Prendergast, A. J., Berkley, J. A.
Wellcome Open Res, (2020). 5:46

Airway response to respiratory syncytial virus has incidental antibacterial effects.
Sande, C. J., Njunge, J. M., Mwongeli Ngoi, J., Mutunga, M. N., Chege, T., Gicheru, E. T., Gardiner, E. M., Gwela, A., Green, C. A., Drysdale, S. B., Berkley, J. A., Nokes, D. J., Pollard, A. J.
Nat Commun, (2019). 10:2218

Undernutrition, Host Immunity and Vulnerability to Infection Among Young Children.
Gwela, A., Mupere, E., Berkley, J. A., Lancioni, C.
Pediatr Infect Dis J, (2019). 38:e175-e177

Biomarkers of post-discharge mortality among children with complicated severe acute malnutrition.
Njunge, J. M., Gwela, A., Kibinge, N. K., Ngari, M., Nyamako, L., Nyatichi, E., Thitiri, J., Gonzales, G. B., Bandsma, R. H. J., Walson, J. L., Gitau, E. N., Berkley, J. A.
Sci Rep, (2019). 9:5981

Author Correction: Airway response to respiratory syncytial virus has incidental antibacterial effects.
Sande, C. J., Njunge, J. M., Ngoi, J. M., Mutunga, M. N., Chege, T., Gicheru, E. T., Gardiner, E. M., Gwela, A., Green, C. A., Drysdale, S. B., Berkley, J. A., Nokes, D. J., Pollard, A. J.
Nat Commun, (2019). 10:3291

The plasma concentration of the B cell activating factor is increased in children with acute malaria.
Nduati, E., Gwela, A., Karanja, H., Mugyenyi, C., Langhorne, J., Marsh, K., Urban, B. C.
J Infect Dis, (2011). 204:962-70