The Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Blantyre, Malawi
Cathryn Wood, Strategic Awards Officer at the Wellcome Trust, meets a Malawian scientist using his knowledge to help understand HIV-TB co-infection.
As one of the world’s poorest countries, Malawi faces significant challenges when it comes to the research into and treatment of the diseases that affect the population. These include HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and pneumonia and, as part of our international funding efforts, we are helping researchers in Blantyre, Malawi, to tackle these issues.
On a recent visit, I met Dr Henry Mwandumba, a scientist at the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme who studies the effect HIV has on lung immunity. Henry is one of the Trust’s new Intermediate Clinical Fellows. His research will explore the impact of HIV infection on pulmonary immune responses in individuals who are co-infected with TB, which is a problem encountered by many of the HIV sufferers in the country.
The high incidence of lung infections in HIV-infected individuals suggests a reduction in the effectiveness of the immune system in the lungs. The first line of defence against infection in the lungs is the alveolar macrophages, which are a type of white blood cell that digest foreign bodies. Through his work, Henry hopes to find out how infection by HIV changes the function of the alveolar macrophages and whether or not they are affected by pulmonary infections.
Dr Henry Mwandumba
Most of the research in his new fellowship will take place in Malawi, but Henry will also work with collaborators at Cornell University in the United States and the UK’s Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, thus continuing his international career in medicine and clinical research. Henry says there are many reasons for his current return to Malawi. TB and HIV infection are highly prevalent among the Malawian population and the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme is well-funded and well equipped. As a Malawian national, Henry also welcomes the opportunity to return to his home country to carry out research that addresses his country’s national priorities.
Henry began his career by studying medicine at the University of Zimbabwe. He then worked as a doctor in Malawi before taking postgraduate medical training in the UK. At the University of Liverpool, he began specialist training in Infectious Diseases, Tropical and General Medicine and went on to become a Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellow. Since then he has been back and forth between Liverpool and Malawi, having returned to Malawi to carry out research into tuberculosis, before returning to the UK once more to work as a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool. Now that he is back again in Malawi, Henry is keen to get on with his work into HIV and TB.
Listen to Henry talk about his research in the clip below:
Cathryn Wood
To learn more about all of our Major Overseas Programmes visit the Wellcome Trust website.
The Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme is located near the Medical College in Blantyre:
Image credits: Wellcome Trust and Henry Mwandumba
Filed under: Audio, Biomedical Sciences, Fellowships, Funding, Health, Infectious Disease, International Tagged: AIDS, Blantyre, Cornell University, Dr Henry Mwandumba, HIV, Intermediate Clinical Fellow, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Major Overseas Programmes, Malaria, Malawi, Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Pneumonia, Research Training Fellow, TB, Tuberculosis, Univeristy of Liverpool
