Raphael Kamng'ona

Raphael Kamng'ona

PhD Student

MRC The Gambia at LSHTM, Gambia

Email: raphael.kamngona@lshtm.ac.uk

 

 

 

 

VALIDATE Role:

Network Affiliate

 

Research Keywords:

TB

 

Biography:

Raphael Kamng’ona is an immunologist with a strong focus on infectious and immune-mediated diseases. He holds a Bachelor of Education Science degree (Biology and Chemistry) from the University of Malawi (Chancellor College) and a Master of Science in Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases from the University of Glasgow, earned in 2012 and 2019, respectively. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship. Currently, he is a PhD student at the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, where he investigates immune cell pathways in post-TB lung disease. He was also part of the team that established the first Experimental Human Pneumococcal Carriage model in Africa, in Malawi.

His primary research interest lies in understanding how HIV and TB infections impact host immunity against infectious diseases, with the broader goal of identifying novel therapeutic and diagnostic strategies for immune-mediated conditions. With expertise in flow cytometry, immunophenotyping, and translational immunology, Raphael is committed to advancing biomedical research in sub-Saharan Africa. His long-term aspiration is to become a research leader in immunology, training the next generation of biomedical scientists and contributing to solutions for pressing health challenges in the region.

 

Key Publications:

  • Doherty K, Dula D, Chirwa A, Nsomba E, Nkhoma VS, Toto N, Chikaonda T, Kamng'ona R, Phiri J, Reiné J, Ndaferankhande J, Makhaza L, Banda P, Jambo K, Ferreira DM, Gordon SB. Experimental pneumococcal carriage in people living with HIV in Malawi: the first controlled human infection model in a key at-risk population. Wellcome Open Res. 2024 Jan 3;9:2. doi: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.19949.1. PMID: 38362541; PMCID: PMC10864820.
  • Dula D, Morton B, Chikaonda T, Chirwa AE, Nsomba E, Nkhoma V, Ngoliwa C, Sichone S, Galafa B, Tembo G, Chaponda M, Toto N, Kamng'ona R, Makhaza L, Muyaya A, Thole F, Kudowa E, Howard A, Kenny-Nyazika T, Ndaferankhande J, Mkandawire C, Chiwala G, Chimgoneko L, Banda NPK, Rylance J, Ferreira D, Jambo K, Henrion MYR, Gordon SB; Malawi Accelerated Research in Vaccines, Experimental and Laboratory Systems (MARVELS) consortium. Effect of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on experimental carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 6B in Blantyre, Malawi: a randomised controlled trial and controlled human infection study. Lancet Microbe. 2023 Sep;4(9):e683-e691. doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(23)00178-7. Erratum in: Lancet Microbe. 2023 Nov;4(11):e860. doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(23)00322-1. PMID: 37659418; PMCID: PMC10469263.
  • Raphael Kamng'ona, Joseph Phiri, Leonard Mvaya, David T Mzinza, Chikondi Matumika-Banda, Elizabeth Chimbayo, Rose Malamba, Anstead Kamkwatila, Henry C Mwandumba and Kondwani Jambo (2020) Airway HIV-specific CD8+ T Cells are Enriched for Tissue Resident Memory and Exhibit Limited Cytolytic Potential. Manuscript draft.
  • Chibwana MG, Moyo-Gwete T, Kwatra G, Mandolo J, Hermanaus T, Motlou T, Mzindle N, Ayres F, Chaponda M, Tembo G, Mwenechanya P, Mitole N, Jassi C, Kamng'ona R, Afran L, Mzinza D, Mwandumba HC, Gordon SB, Jere K, Madhi S, Moore PL, Heyderman RS, Jambo KC. AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine induces robust broadly cross-reactive antibody responses in Malawian adults previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. BMC Med. 2022 Mar 28;20(1):128. doi: 10.1186/s12916- 022-02342-z. PMID: 35346184; PMCID: PMC8958481.
  • Morton B, Burr S, Chikaonda T, Nsomba E, Manda-Taylor L, Henrion MYR, Banda NP, Rylance J, Ferreira DM, Jambo K, Gordon SB; MARVELS consortium. A feasibility study of controlled human infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae in Malawi. EBioMedicine. 2021 Oct;72:103579. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103579. Epub 2021 Sep 24. PMID: 34571365; PMCID: PMC8479630.
  • Barnes KG, Anscombe C, Jere K, Matambo P, Mandolo J, Kamng'ona R, Brown C, Nyirenda J, Phiri T, Banda NP, Van Der Veer C, Mndolo KS, Mponda K, Rylance J, Phiri C, Mallewa J, Nyirenda M, Katha G, Kambiya P, Jafali J, Mwandumba HC, Gordon SB; Blantyre COVID-19 Consortium, Cornick J, Jambo KC. Distinct clinical and immunological profiles of patients with evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in sub- Saharan Africa. Nat Commun. 2021 Jun 11;12(1):3554. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021- 23267-w. PMID: 34117221; PMCID: PMC8196064.
  • Mvaya L, Mwale A, Hummel A, Phiri J, Kamng’ona R, Mzinza D, Chimbayo E, Malamba R, Kankwatira A, Mwandumba HC and Jambo KC (2019) Airway CD8+CD161++ TCRvα7.2+ T Cell Depletion During Untreated HIV Infection Targets CD103 Expressing Cells. Front. Immunol. 10:2003
  • Christine Kelly, Henry C. Mwandumba,Robert S. Heyderman,Kondwani Jambo,Raphael Kamng’ona, Mishek Chammudzi, Irene Sheha,Ingrid Peterson,Alicja Rapala,Jane Mallewa, A. Sarah Walker, NigelKlein, and Saye Khoo (2018) HIV-Related Arterial Stiffness in Malawian Adults Is Associated With the Proportion of PD-1–Expressing CD8 T Cells and Reverses With Antiretroviral Therapy. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 219(12):1948-1958
  • Andrew Mwale, Annemarie Hummel, Leonard Mvaya, Raphael Kamng'ona, Elizabeth Chimbayo, Joseph Phiri, Rose Malamba, Anstead Kankwatira, Henry C Mwandumba. B cell, CD8+ T cell and gamma delta T cell infiltration alters alveolar immune cell homeostasis in HIV-infected Malawian adults [version 3; peer review: 2 approved, 1 approved with reservations]. Wellcome Open Res 2018, 2:105