Professor Takafira Mduluza

Country: Zimbabwe

Institution: University of Zimbabwe

Research Areas: Immunology of Parasitic Infections (Neglected Tropical Diseases)

Lab Website: www.uz.ac.zw/index.php/departments-sci/169-biochemistry/1005-prof-takafira-mduluza

Professor Takafira Mduluza heads the Centre for Immunology & Infection Research (CIIR) based in the Biochemistry Department, University of Zimbabwe. The CIIR specializes in the Biochemistry and Immunology of Infectious Diseases including parasitic infections. The work concentrates on the biochemistry and immunological consequences of infectious diseases in endemic populations and immuno-epidemiological studies of the relationship between defined immune responses and acquisition of clinically protective immunity. The aim is to characterize the effector mechanisms of both innate and acquired immunity to infecting agents such as parasites and co-infection with other agents, to understand how these mechanisms are induced and how they are regulated in order to promote parasite clearance without inducing immunopathology. The research group also conducts research oriented to the development and evaluation of anti-parasite vaccines. A further research goal is to understand in detail the long-term impact of preventive chemotherapy in populations recommended to receive several rounds of treatment. This is particularly true for blood fluke parasites, where infections can be debilitating with children suffering the worst disease. The challenge has been worsened with existence of co-infections and lack of environmental development on clean water and proper sanitation.