TB Immunology Series: Counting the Lessons, Losses from Tuberculosis Vaccine Trials - Anele Gela

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 fifth episode in the series features Anele Gela, a Research Officer at the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, University of Cape Town, where he studies host determinants of protective immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb).

Anele first ventured into TB research during his postdoctoral fellowship at SATVI. He completed his PhD degree in Lund University, Sweden, studying asthma, and previously worked with coronaviruses.

During his post-doctoral training, he was actively involved in several projects aimed at addressing the role of donor-unrestricted T (DURT) cells in TB immunity and vaccination.

In his current role as a research officer, he provides scientific and operational oversight of immunological and laboratory aspects of TB vaccine projects. One such project is the H56:IC31 TB vaccine trial, which was conducted at multiple sites in South Africa and Tanzania.

In this episode, we talk about his journey into studying vaccine immune responses for TB, why vaccines matter, and the need for stronger public engagement in the field.

Timestamps:

00:00 - intro

01:40 - why vaccines are important; different vaccine types

06:11 - career journey; from coronaviruses to TB

12:20 - PhD research and key findings

14:15 - key TB-related projects

19:40 - how clinical trials run; projects and findings

25:33 - more findings, lessons from trials

28:09 - on TB revaccination and BCG effectiveness

31:33 - challenges with getting a TB vaccine

36:44 - public engagement in TB vaccine clinical trials

38:26 - engaging with public and private agencies to attract investment in biomedical research and development

42:15 - Outro