Improving HIV Diagnosis through the HIVQuant Project - Dr. Catherine Kibirige

Dr. Catherine Kibirige trained as a biochemist at the University of Bath, before earning a doctorate in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at The Johns Hopkins University. She is currently a Research Manager at Imperial College London.

Following a childhood interest, she has been involved in HIV-1 clinical research alongside large epidemiological cohort studies for over 20 years. She currently leads 'The HIVQuant Project' - www.hivquant.com which she founded to develop a special HIV quantification kit. It is hoped that this ambient-temperature HIV-1 quantification kit will address challenges associated with HIV diagnosis and treatment monitoring in resource-constrained settings. She is passionate about providing alternative low-cost treatment and monitoring tools for individuals living with HIV in these settings.

In addition to developing and optimising this kit, her work on HIV has also spanned elucidating cytotoxic (CD8) T cell mediated-cell death and investigating the relationship between the replicative capacities of HIV-1 and CD8-mediated viral inhibition. Dr. Kibirige is eager to translate her work to field and clinical settings and welcomes funding and collaborative opportunities aligned with this goal.

To learn more about her work and the HIVQuant Project, visit, www.hivquant.com, https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/c.kibirige,
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Catherine-Kibirige.

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Time stamps:

00:00 - intro

01:14 - early beginnings, academic and research journey

07:03 - initial foray into HIV quantification

13:23 - research project highlights: findings and implications

19:47 - what is the HIVQuant Project all about?

26:44 - current stage of the project: challenges and progress so far; next steps

30:35 - collaborations within Africa (and elsewhere)

35:02 - comments on mentorship

39:00 - comments on research in Africa vs. the diaspora (opportunities and challenges)

47:08 - closing remarks

49:44 - outro