Associate Professor Jo-Ann Passmore

Country: South Africa

Institution: University of Cape Town

Research Areas:HIV/HPV Mucosal Immunology; genital tract, innate immunity, cytokine biomarkers, genital tract immune activation

Lab Website: www.virology.uct.ac.za/vir/staff/jo-ann-passmore

Our Mucosal HIV and STI laboratory in the Division of Virology, Department of Pathology at UCT is nationally and internationally recognized as on of the leading laboratories studying mucosal immune responses to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), relevant to HIV susceptibility in women. We focus on studying genital tract adaptive and innate immune responses associated with protection from or susceptibility to STIs including Chlamydia, human papillomavirus and HIV in addition to the commensals that comprise bacterial vaginosis. Identifying women at risk for HIV infection, development of point of care tools to screen for HIV risk, and the role of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PreP) in HIV protection also forms an important focus of research in this group.