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Tell us about your current research and how you first became interested in working in vaccine research?  

My interest in vaccine research stemmed from the first vaccine trial that I worked on when I joined MRC Unit, The Gambia at LSHTM (MRCG) as a Trainee Scientific Officer, after completing my undergraduate degree. I worked with an excellent team of researchers at the MRCG, Kenya, Senegal, Burkina Faso and the University of Oxford. We collaborated on a malaria vaccine clinical trial conducted in Gambian and Kenyan adults. During this period, I learnt a lot on how vaccines work and how immune responses to vaccination can protect against infection and disease. In Africa, we are faced with the devastating impact of malaria and other infectious diseases, especially for infants. This project highlighted the importance of immunology of vaccine responses in African populations towards the development of safe and effective vaccines.

What do you hope to achieve during your time working with the vaccine theme at the MRC unit The Gambia?

I hope to contribute to research that will further our understanding of the immune responses that are induced post infection and vaccination. This will help us design and deliver new vaccines or improve existing ones. As part of my post-doctoral training, my work focuses on understanding the immune responses induced by infection or carriage of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) in Gambian school children. Group A Streptococcus remains a major public health issue globally, contributing to illnesses such as pharyngitis, impetigo, invasive infections, and rheumatic heart disease. The World Health Organization has emphasized the urgent need for a vaccine to reduce this burden particularly in low resource settings where children and young adults are especially affected.

I hope that the work I do at MRCG within the Vaccines and Immunity theme will support my transition to an independent scientist to continue my research on exploring immunity to infectious diseases affecting children. I also hope to inspire the next generation of junior African researchers through mentorship and training in this field of research. I do a lot of mentoring through the societies I work with within the MRCG and outside, for example for Women in Stem Gambia.  

What do you find particularly interesting working in collaboration with the MRCG Vaccine Theme and the LSHTM Vaccine Centre?

The diversity of the researchers within the Unit and the interdisciplinary nature of the research teams within the Unit.  The Vaccines and Immunity theme has researchers working across different areas, including infant immunology, TB immunology and maternal and newborn health. Monthly meetings with members of the vaccine theme provide an insight into the fantastic work going on in both the laboratory and field stations. These meetings also provide the opportunity to identify potential collaborative projects and skills training for members.

Outside the Unit, the Vaccines theme collaborates with researchers from different parts of the world. Working together provides opportunities for staff to learn new techniques that can then be established in the Unit which will be relevant for future work.  

Where do you think your research will take you/ how do you expect your work to develop?  

The huge genetic diversity in African populations and circulating pathogen strains gives us the opportunity to explore variations in immune responses to infections and vaccination. I aim to establish myself as an independent scientist focused on using genomic approaches to understand immune responses in African populations to Group A streptococcus carriage and infection. My goal is to generate data that reflects diversity in human immunity, genetics and pathogen diversity in our setting which is critical for global vaccine development. By addressing these gaps, my work will contribute towards the design of more inclusive and effective vaccines for diseases such as influenza, malaria and GAS, ensuring that future vaccines are designed to protect people globally.  

What are some of the real-life implications of your work?  

A lot of the work we do at the Vaccines Theme have real life implications such as the inclusion of new childhood vaccines to the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) schedule and improved vaccination strategies.

There is limited understanding of immunity to Covid-19 in African populations. In our in Nature Communications Medicine Journal, we reported findings from a household study conducted in The Gambia during the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst the number of reported Covid-19 cases in The Gambia was low, our study showed that a significant portion of the Gambian population had already developed strong immune responses to COVID-19 before the arrival of the Delta variant. We further reported that children were generally protected against infection compared to adults.  

What do you like doing in your spare time?  

In my spare time I love spending time with my family, cooking and watching movies.

What would you consider an interesting fact/ outstanding thing/ party trick (something fun about yourself you don’t mind sharing).

If I wasn’t a scientist I would have been a chef.