Immunity in Pregnant Women and Infants - Dr. Gatien Lokossou

Dr. Gatien Lokossou leads the Human Biology Engineering Department at the University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin, where he also doubles as a lecturer in Immunology and Cell Biology. His current research involves elucidating the microbiota composition of human breast milk and evaluating the protective function of immune cells and antibodies in breast milk against malaria in infants.

Prior to joining the University of Abomey-Calavi, Dr. Lokossou earned a PhD in Immunology at Paris Descartes University, France, where his work focused on genetic control of immune responses in malaria. During his post-doc at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), Canada, he studied immunosuppression during pregnancy. His research explored the immune-related molecules, exosomes, and cells that contributed to the onset of preeclampsia in pregnant women in Canada and Benin. The overall goal of this project was to save lives and improve health outcomes by developing a diagnostic test for early detection of preeclampsia in at-risk pregnant women.

In this episode, Dr. Lokossou talks about his decision to return to his home country, Benin, after training in France and Canada. Most of his work, which has focused largely on pregnant women and infants, explore preeclampsia - a pregnancy-associated disease that can be fatal - and breast milk. Connect with him/learn more about his work via LinkedIn and ⁠⁠⁠⁠ResearchGate⁠⁠⁠⁠. The Immunology in Africa Podcast is on ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow/Subscribe to keep track of new episodes and other immunology updates.

Time stamps: 00:00 - intro 01:30 - overview of educational and research background 04:00 - on relocating to Benin after foreign education and training

06:15 - why immunology research

07:52 - highlights of key research projects (epithelial cell response to pathogenic bacteria; genetic control of malaria immune responses; pregnancy and preeclampsia)

14:32 - [preeclampsia] the roles of syncytin (immunosuppression and placenta development); potential impact of the project

22:12 - [breastmilk] the why; ongoing projects; when it's (un)safe; - vs. formula food; preserving its composition/integrity

38:34 - comment: strengthening local research capacity in Africa through funding

40:16 - a most important career-related piece of advice or decision

42:00 - closing remarks 45:05 - outro