Institute: Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme
Biography
Raphael has been awarded a medical research council Ph.D. scholarship under the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) focusing on the analysis of immune cells and pathways in the development and outcome of post-TB lung disease.
He is currently a Lead Research Assistant in the Immunology Lab. He obtained his Bachelor of Education Science degree, majoring in Biology and Chemistry, from the University of Malawi (Chancellor College) and a Master of Science degree in Immunology and Inflammatory diseases from the University of Glasgow, in 2012 and 2019, respectively. Raphael is a recipient of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship.
Raphael is part of the team that is using the Experimental Human Pneumococcal Challenge model to test PCV13 efficacy in Malawi. His main research interest is understanding mucosal immunological response to Tuberculosis (TB), HIV, and pneumococcus, which are leading causes of ill health and death worldwide. His main career goal is to become a biomedical science research leader, with an aim to train more biomedical scientists and contribute to addressing health problems in the sub-Saharan region.
Key Publications
- 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. 3 | P a g e 10/08/2023
- 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 subSaharan 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
Web Links of Interest