Beatrice Nassanga

I am a final year PhD student at Makerere University, Uganda, and the University of Oxford. I also work as a research assistant in the tuberculosis (TB) vaccines groups of Prof Helen McShane and Associate Prof Rachel Tanner, University of Oxford. I have great interest in the study of TB, a disease which represents a major burden in Africa and Asia. I am particularly interested in investigating the problem of the waning efficacy of TB vaccines and contributing to the development of a more effective TB vaccine. For my PhD project, I am investigating the host and microbial factors influencing the immunogenicity of BCG revaccination and the candidate TB vaccine combination ChAdOx1 85A - MVA85A. I am also working on several related projects, including developing immune organoids for high-throughput immunogenicity screening of novel TB vaccine candidates. I previously attained an MSc in Immunology and Clinical Microbiology at Makerere University in 2019, during which I investigated T cell responses (phenotype and polyfunctionality) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) in the sensitised and un-sensitised Ugandan population. This followed challenges in distinguishing NTM sensitisation from MTB with the conventional Tuberculin Skin Test and Interferon gamma release assays, and the discovery of unique NTM T cell epitopes. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Laboratory Technology also attained at Makerere University in 2014. From 2014 to 2016, I worked as a laboratory technologist on several TB and measles vaccine related research projects at MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit.