Dr Lindi Masson
Dr Lindi Masson MSc (Med) PhD (UCT)
Senior Research Fellow, the Burnet Institute, Australia; Honorary Research Associate, University of Cape Town (UCT); Member, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, UCT; Honorary Research Associate, Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research, South Africa and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Monash University.
Lindi Masson’s research group focuses on understanding risk factors for HIV acquisition and adverse reproductive outcomes in women. The group is collaborating on a clinical study to identify biological and socio-behavioural factors to explain the high rates of HIV infection seen in adolescent girls and young women in South Africa. They are also working with Australian researchers to investigate the impact of the cervicovaginal metaproteome on birth outcomes in Australian women. Additionally, Lindi's group is characterising the effects of contraceptives on the cervicovaginal microbiome, metaproteome and immunity in women from South Africa, Brazil and the Dominican Republic.
Another focus of the group is translational research, developing low cost point-of-care tests to identify women with asymptomatic sexually transmitted infections and vaginal dysbiosis who are at high risk of HIV and preterm birth. The group is also characterising cervicovaginal commensal bacterial taxa to identify strains that inhibit HIV and could be utilised as bio-preventatives to reduce HIV risk in women.
The work is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), and the Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research.
Key areas of expertise: Female genital tract inflammation, metaproteomics, microbiome, sexually transmitted infections including HIV
Selected publications:
See publications and profile on Research Gate.
Contact details:
Life Sciences Discipline,
Burnet Institute,
85 Commercial Road,
Melbourne, Victoria, 3004
Australia
Tel: +61420700381
Email: L.Masson@uct.ac.za or Lindi.Masson@Burnet.edu.au
Group Members:
| Members | Position |
| Rushil Harryparsad | PhD Student |
| Monalisa Manhanzva | Postdoctoral Fellow |
| Bahiah Meyer | PhD student |
| Andrea Gillian Abrahams | PhD student |
| Nina Radzey | PhD student |
| Grace Androga | Research Officer (Burnet Institute) |
| Jenna Wilson | Research Associate (Burnet Institute) |
| Sarah Amir Hamzah | Honours Student (Burnet Institute) |
Collaborations:
International:
Dr Arghavan Alisoltani (Northwestern University, United States (US))
Ayako Honda (Hitotsubashi University, Japan)
Bich-Tram Huynh, Camille Fortas (Institut Pasteur, France)
Dr Charles Morrison, Dr Kavita Nanda, Dr Pai Lien Chen, Florence Lefebvre D’Hellencourt, Sophie Gao (Family Health International 360, US)
Dr Chido Dziva Chikwari (Organization for Public Health and Development, Zimbabwe)
Dr David Erikson (Oregon Health and Science University, US)
Prof Gilda Tachedjian, Prof David Anderson, Dr Anna Hearps, Dr Joshua Hayward, David Tyssen, Brianna Jesaveluk (Burnet Institute, Australia)
Dr Jennifer Deese (Pfizer, US)
Dr Jerome Strauss (University of Pennsylvania, US)
Dr Katharina Kranzer, Constance Mackworth-Young, Emma Harding-Esch, Sarah Bernays, Eneyi Kpokiri (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom)
Dr Lyle McKinnon (Medical Microbiology and Community Health Services, University of Manitoba, Canada)
Dr Matthew Payne (University of Western Australia, Australia)
Dr Tania Crucitti, Dr Rindra Randremanana (Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Madagascar)
Local:
Prof Edina Sinanovic, Elise Smith (Health Economics, UCT, South Africa (SA))
Dr Heather Jaspan (Division of Immunology, UCT and Seattle Children’s Hospital, US)
Associate Prof Jo-Ann Passmore, Dr Ramla Tanko, Micaela Lurie, Tanya Pidwell, Hoyam Gamieldien, Dr Brian Kullin (Division of Medical Virology, UCT, SA)
Dr Hilton Humphries, Dr Pamela Gumbi (University of KwaZulu-Natal, SA)
Dr Jennifer Smit, Dr Mags Beksinka (MatCH Research Unit, SA)
Prof Jonathan Blackburn (Division of Chemical and Systems Biology, UCT, SA)
Dr Khatija Ahmed (Setshaba Research Centre, SA)
Dr Lenine Liebenberg, Dr Nigel Garrett, Dr Sinaye Ngcapu, Dr Derseree Archary, Dr Aida Sivro, Natasha Samsunder (CAPRISA, Durban, SA)
Prof Linda-Gail Bekker, Dr Katherine Gill (Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, SA)
Prof Nicola Mulder (Computational Biology, UCT, SA)
Mr Saberi Marais (RC&I; UCT, SA)
Associate Prof William Horsnell (Division of Immunology, UCT, SA)