Biography

Following the completion of her PhD at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in Prof Steve Ward’s lab, Lynette Isabella Oyier joined the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP) in 2006 as a post-doctoral researcher. She worked under Profs. David Conway (LSHTM) and Kevin Marsh, to study natural selection in Plasmodium falciparum merozoite antigens at the MRC, The Gambia and KWTRP. She later received a re-entry grant from the Malaria Capacity Development Consortium (MCDC), to work on the temporal genetic variation in merozoite antigens. In addition, she has supervised a Wellcome Trust funded MSc fellow in collaboration with Prof Colin Sutherland (LSHTM) to examine the temporal genetic variation in known drug resistance markers. She was appointed Visiting Lecturer to the Centre for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics (CEBIB), University of Nairobi, in 2011. There, she developed a molecular biology lab, taught on the molecular biology and advanced molecular genetics MSc courses and supervised MSc students. She received a MCDC initiative award to examine the genetic diversity of P. falciparum erythrocyte receptors and conducted part of the project at CEBIB. While at CEBIB, using funding from the MCDC, she established a career development group to improve the learning environment through mentoring, postgraduate supervision and personal development planning activities. In 2015, she received funding from the Wellcome Trust, the International Intermediate Fellowship award for the project, A novel strategy for understanding the functional impact of variation in Plasmodium falciparum merozoite vaccine candidates, in collaboration with Prof Julian Rayner, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. In 2016 Faith began to split her time between Heidelberg University in Germany and KEMRI-Wellcome, and in 2021 took up a full-time role in Imperial College London, where she is now co-Director of the Institute of Immunology. She retains strong links with KEMRI-Wellcome and continues to run a group and supervise students

Current Work

Her interests include vaccine development, with an emphasis on malaria. Her research groups are based at the KEMRI-Wellcome Training Programme in Kilifi, Kenya and at the Heidelberg University Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany. She is passionate about capacity building and the training of African scientists to deliver the interventions needed on the continent.

Collaborations

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Project Research

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Publications

Antibody-Dependent Respiratory Burst against Plasmodium falciparum Merozoites in Individuals Living in an Area with Declining Malaria Transmission.
Mutemi, D. D., Tuju, J., Ogwang, R., Nyamako, L., Wambui, K. M., Cruz, I. R., Villner, P., Yman, V., Kinyanjui, S. M., Rooth, I., Ngasala, B., Färnert, A., Osier, F. H. A.
Vaccines (Basel), (2024). 12:

Antibody-Dependent Respiratory Burst against Plasmodium falciparum Merozoites in Individuals Living in an Area with Declining Malaria Transmission.
Mutemi, D. D., Tuju, J., Ogwang, R., Nyamako, L., Wambui, K. M., Cruz, I. R., Villner, P., Yman, V., Kinyanjui, S. M., Rooth, I., Ngasala, B., Färnert, A., Osier, F. H. A.
Vaccines (Basel), (2024). 12:

Anti-merozoite antibodies induce natural killer cell effector function and are associated with immunity against malaria.
Odera, D. O., Tuju, J., Mwai, K., Nkumama, I. N., Fürle, K., Chege, T., Kimathi, R., Diehl, S., Musasia, F. K., Rosenkranz, M., Njuguna, P., Hamaluba, M., Kapulu, M. C., Frank, R., Osier, F. H. A., Abdi, A. I., Chi, P. C., de Laurent, Z., Jao, I., Kamuya, D., Kamuyu, G., Makale, J., Murungi, L., Musyoki, J., Muthui, M., Mwacharo, J., Kariuki, S., Mwanga, D., Mwongeli, J., Ndungu, F., Njue, M., Nyangweso, G., Kimani, D., Ngoi, J. M., Musembi, J., Ngoto, O., Otieno, E., Ooko, M., Shangala, J., Wambua, J., Mohammed, K. S., Omuoyo, D., Mosobo, M., Kibinge, N., Kinyanjui, S., Bejon, P., Lowe, B., Marsh, K., Marsh, V., Abebe, Y., Billingsley, P. F., Sim, B. K. L., Hoffman, S. L., James, E. R., Richie, T. L., Audi, A., Olewe, F., Oloo, J., Ongecha, J., Ongas, M. O., Koskei, N., Bull, P. C., Hodgson, S. H., Kivisi, C., Imwong, M., Murphy, S. C., Ogutu, B., Tarning, J., Winterberg, M., Williams, T. N.
Sci Transl Med, (2023). 15:eabn5993

Characterization of a novel Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface antigen and potential vaccine target.
Niaré, K., Chege, T., Rosenkranz, M., Mwai, K., Saßmannshausen, Z., Odera, D., Nyamako, L., Tuju, J., Alfred, T., Waitumbi, J. N., Ogutu, B., Sirima, S. B., Awandare, G., Kouriba, B., Rayner, J. C., Osier, F. H. A.
Front Immunol, (2023). 14:1156806

Malaria attributable fractions with changing transmission intensity: Bayesian latent class vs logistic models.
Mwai, K., Nkumama, I., Thairu, A., Mburu, J., Odera, D., Kimathi, R., Nyamako, L., Tuju, J., Kinyanjui, S., Musenge, E., Osier, F.
Malar J, (2022). 21:326

The effect of malaria on childhood anemia in a quasi-experimental study of 7,384 twins from 23 Sub-Saharan African countries.
Starck, T., Dambach, P., Rouamba, T., Tinto, H., Osier, F., Oldenburg, C. E., Adam, M., Bärnighausen, T., Jaenisch, T., Bulstra, C. A.
Front Public Health, (2022). 10:1009865

Assessment of a diverse panel of transmitted/founder HIV-1 infectious molecular clones in a luciferase based CD8 T-cell mediated viral inhibition assay.
Fernandez, N., Hayes, P., Makinde, J., Hare, J., King, D., Xu, R., Rehawi, O., Mezzell, A. T., Kato, L., Mugaba, S., Serwanga, J., Chemweno, J., Nduati, E., Price, M. A., Osier, F., Ochsenbauer, C., Yue, L., Hunter, E., Gilmour, J.
Front Immunol, (2022). 13:1029029

Asplenia and spleen hypofunction.
Lenti, M. V., Luu, S., Carsetti, R., Osier, F., Ogwang, R., Nnodu, O. E., Wiedermann, U., Spencer, J., Locatelli, F., Corazza, G. R., Di Sabatino, A.
Nat Rev Dis Primers, (2022). 8:71

Phagocytosis of Plasmodium falciparum ring-stage parasites predicts protection against malaria.
Musasia, F. K., Nkumama, I. N., Frank, R., Kipkemboi, V., Schneider, M., Mwai, K., Odera, D. O., Rosenkranz, M., Furle, K., Kimani, D., Tuju, J., Njuguna, P., Hamaluba, M., Kapulu, M. C., Wardemann, H., CHMI-SIKA Study Team., Osier, F. H. A.
Nat Commun, (2022). 13:4098

Characterization of Anopheles gambiae D7 salivary proteins as markers of human-mosquito bite contact.
Oseno, B., Marura, F., Ogwang, R., Muturi, M., Njunge, J., Nkumama, I., Mwakesi, R., Mwai, K., Rono, M. K., Mwakubambanya, R., Osier, F., Tuju, J.
Parasit Vectors, (2022). 15:11