TB Immunology Series: Predicting and Understanding Tuberculosis Risk - Sara Suliman

Hosted by ⁠Wealth Okete⁠, The Immunology in Africa Podcast explores narratives at the nexus of immunology & Africa. We ask professors, postdocs, PhD students, and everyone in between to tell us about their journey into immunology, the questions driving their current work, and the impact they hope to make on the continent.

To support our efforts towards amplifying African stories of immunology, you can ⁠⁠buy us coffee⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠nominate a guest⁠⁠.

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Launching in April 2025, our special TB Immunology series and first-ever disease-focused series dives deep into the science, challenges, and success stories behind the fight to end tuberculosis.

We’re joined by leading scientists whose work in TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and vaccine development is shaping the current landscape of the disease in Africa and globally.

Whether you're actively involved in TB research or simply curious about the field, this experience promises to be both eye-opening and engaging.

The first episode in the series features Sara Suliman, an assistant professor in the Division of Experimental Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Her lab focuses on identifying host mechanisms underlying TB risk and pathogenesis.

An immunologist by training, Suliman is interested in understanding the immunological determinants of TB risk, progression, and treatment response and developing predictive biomarkers for the disease.

This episode explores Suliman's TB work, most of which began during her post-doctoral training at the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, University of Cape Town. In addition, Suliman talks about how she blends hypothesis-driven and exploratory research in her science and why she finds the former 'more intellectually stimulating'.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:26 - Earliest steps in TB immunology

04:30 - Overview of initial TB immunology projects exploring vaccines and biomarkers

07:48 - Transitioning from cancer to infectious disease immunology

12:47 - Genetic biomarkers for TB progressors and non-progressors

19:06 - More on 'the biomarker study'

24:55 - TB heterogeneity

29:09 - Hypothesis-driven vs. exploratory science

32:38 - The impact of viral co-infections, such as COVID-19, on TB

36:41 - What do TB scientists disagree on?

42:34 - Lab culture, mentorship, and collaboration

46:30 - On being 'scooped'

48:23 - The future of TB in Africa

51:23 - Closing remarks

53:05 - Outro