Epidemiology & Demography

Bio

Sylvia is a post-doctoral fellow in the Host Genetic Factors group led by Professor Thomas Williams. She joined the programme in 2016 broadly interested in the genetic architecture of complex traits, specifically identifying genetic factors associated with disease susceptibility. Her doctoral thesis work at the University of Chicago involved endophenotype mapping to identify novel genetic polymorphisms associated with complex traits such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and vitamin D response in the immune system. Her post-doctoral work at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme involves functional validation of genetic polymorphisms that confer substantial protection against severe malaria.

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Current Work

She has focused on functional validation of the Dantu blood group variant, a complex structural polymorphism in the glycophorin gene cluster that confers strongly protective effects against severe malaria. This work has led to the discovery that the Dantu variant confers its protective effects against Plasmodium falciparum parasite invasion by impacting red blood cell membrane tension, establishing a clear link between red blood cell membrane tension and P. falciparum invasion efficiency.

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Recent publications

Relation between the Dantu blood group variant and bacteraemia in Kenyan children: a population-based case control study.
Kariuki, S. N., Gilchrist, J. J., Uyoga, S., Macharia, A., Makale, J., Rayner, J. C., Williams, T. N.
J Infect Dis, (2024). :Online ahead of print

Dantu Blood Group Erythrocytes Form Large Plasmodium falciparum Rosettes Less Commonly.
Carlier, M. S. A., Nyamu, W., Makale, J., Williams, T. N., Rowe, J. A., Kariuki, S. N.
Am J Trop Med Hyg, (2024). 110:436-443

The Dantu blood group prevents parasite growth in vivo: Evidence from a controlled human malaria infection study.
Kariuki, S. N., Macharia, A. W., Makale, J., Nyamu, W., Hoffman, S. L., Kapulu, M. C., Bejon, P., Rayner, J. C., Williams, T. N.
Elife, (2023). 12:e83874

BIRC6 modifies risk of invasive bacterial infection in Kenyan children.
Gilchrist, J. J., Kariuki, S. N., Watson, J. A., Band, G., Uyoga, S., Ndila, C. M., Mturi, N., Mwarumba, S., Mohammed, S., Mosobo, M., Alasoo, K., Rockett, K. A., Mentzer, A. J., Kwiatkowski, D. P., Hill, A. V. S., Maitland, K., Scott, J. A. G., Williams, T. N.
Elife, (2022). 11:e77461

The impact of malaria-protective red blood cell polymorphisms on parasite biomass in children with severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria.
Uyoga, S., Watson, J. A., Wanjiku, P., Rop, J. C., Makale, J., Macharia, A. W., Kariuki, S. N., Nyutu, G. M., Shebe, M., Mosobo, M., Mturi, N., Rockett, K. A., Woodrow, C. J., Dondorp, A. M., Maitland, K., White, N. J., Williams, T. N.
Nat Commun, (2022). 13:3307