Robert J. Wilkinson
Honorary Professor Robert J. Wilkinson MA (Cambridge) BM BCh (Oxford) DTM&H PhD FRCP FMedSci
Senior Group Leader at The Francis Crick Institute, London; and Wellcome Senior Fellow in Clinical Science at Imperial College London [both posts seconded to the University of Cape Town]; Director, Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa); Group leader and Director, Crick African Network; and Member, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine; Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town.
Robert J. Wilkinson’s interests are focused on clinical and immunological aspects of tuberculosis, particularly in the context of HIV-1 infection.
HIV and TB are the most pressing public health problems in Africa: in South Africa, many hundreds of people still die prematurely per day because of HIV, many due to co-existent TB. The epidemiology and clinical features of HIV associated TB are well researched, but few studies have addressed in detail the cellular mechanisms. His research programme derives its research questions from the clinical care of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV-TB co-infected persons in South Africa and London. Through clinically-based studies, they aim to improve knowledge of pathogenesis and thereby improve prevention and treatment. Projects underway at present include the following:
How can tuberculosis infection in HIV infected people be more effectively prevented?
By what immune mechanisms do preventive therapies decrease susceptibility to TB?
What is the cause and best management of the HIV-Tuberculosis-associated Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome? This project is led by Professor Graeme Meintjes, Professor and Infectious Diseases Physician, CIDRI-Africa, UCT.
What is the pathogenesis of tuberculous pericarditis?
How does HIV infection influence the immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lung?
Selected publications:
Stucki, D., Brites, D., Jeljeli, L., Coscolla, M., Liu, Q., Trauner, A., Fenner, L., Rutaihwa, L., Borrell, S., Luo, T., Gao, Q., Kato-Maeda, M., Ballif, M., Egger, M., Macedo, R., Mardassi, H., Moreno, M., Vilanova, G.T., Fyfe, J., Globan, M., Thomas, J., Jamieson, F., Guthrie, J.L., Asante-Poku, A., Yeboah-Manu, D., Wampande, E., Ssengooba, W., Joloba, M., Boom, W.H., Basu, I., Bower, J., Saraiva, M., Vasconcellos, S.E.G., Suffys, P., Koch, A., Wilkinson, R., Gail-Bekker, L., Malla, B., Ley, S.D., Beck, H.-P., De Jong, B.C., Toit, K., Sanchez-Padilla, E., Bonnet, M., Gil-Brusola, A., Frank, M., Penlap Beng, V.N., Eisenach, K., Alani, I., Ndung'U, P.W., Revathi, G., Gehre, F., Akter, S., Ntoumi, F., Stewart-Isherwood, L., Ntinginya, N.E., Rachow, A., Hoelscher, M., Cirillo, D.M., Skenders, G., Hoffner, S., Bakonyte, D., Stakenas, P., Diel, R., Crudu, V., Moldovan, O., Al-Hajoj, S., Otero, L., Barletta, F., Carter, E.J., Diero, L., Supply, P., Comas, I., Niemann, S., Gagneux, S. Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineage 4 comprises globally distributed and geographically restricted sublineages. Nature Genetics (2016) 48(12):1535-1543
Esmail, H., Lai, R.P., Lesosky, M., Wilkinson, K.A., Graham, C.M., Coussens, A.K., Oni, T., Warwick, J.M., Said-Hartley, Q., Koegelenberg, C.F., Walzl, G., Flynn, J.L., Young, D.B., Barry, C.E., O'Garra, A., Wilkinson, R.J. Characterization of progressive HIV-associated tuberculosis using 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission and computed tomography. Nature Medicine (2016) 22(10):1090-1093
Lai, RPJ; Meintjes, G; Wilkinson, KA; Graham, CM; Marais, S; Van der Plas, H; Deffur, A; Schutz, C; Bloom, C; Munagala, I; Anguiano, E; Goliath, R; Maartens, G; Banchereau, J; Chaussabel, D; O'Garra, A and Wilkinson, RJ. HIV-tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome is characterized by Toll-like receptor and inflammasome signalling. Nature Communications (2015) 6, 8451
Coussens, AK; Naude, CE; Goliath, R; Chaplin, G; Wilkinson, RJ and Jablonski, NG. High-dose vitamin D3 reduces deficiency caused by low UVB exposure and limits HIV-1 replication in urban Southern Africans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2015) 112, 8052-8057
Anderson, S.T.B., Kaforou, M., Brent, A., Wright, V.J., Banwell, C.M., Chagaluka, G., Crampin, A.C., Dockrell, H.M., French, N., Hamilton, M.S., Hibberd, M.L., Kern, F., Langford, P.R., Ling, L., Mlotha, R., Ottenhoff, T.H.M., Pienaar, S., Pillay, V., Scott, J.A.G, Twahir, H., Wilkinson, R.J., Coin, L.J., Heyderman, R.S., Levin, M., Eley, B. Diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis and host RNA expression in Africa. New England Journal of Medicine (2014) 370:1712-23
Martineau, A.R., Nhamoyebonde, S., Oni, T., Rangaka, M.X., Marais, S., Bangani, N., Tsekela, R., Bashe, L., de Azevedo, V., Caldwell, J., Venton, T.R., Timms, P., Wilkinson, K.A., Wilkinson, R.J. Reciprocal seasonal variation in vitamin D status and tuberculosis notifications in Cape Town, South Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (2011) 108(47):19013-7
Berry, M.P.R., Graham, C.M., McNab, F.W., Xu, Z., Bloch, S.J., Oni, T., Wilkinson, K.A., Banchereau, R., Skinner, J., Wilkinson, R.J., Quinn, C., Blankenship, D., Dhawan, R., Cush, J.J., Mejias, A., Ramilo, O., Kon, O.M., Pascual, V., Banchereau, J., Chaussabel, D., and O'Garra, A. An Interferon-Inducible Neutrophil-Driven blood transcriptional signature in Human Tuberculosis. Nature (2010) 466: 973-977
Contact details:
Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa)
Room 3.3.05, Wolfson Pavilion
Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Cape Town
Observatory 7925
South Africa
Tel: +27 21 406 6084
Fax: +27 21 406 6796
Email: robert.wilkinson@uct.ac.za
r.j.wilkinson@imperial.ac.uk
robert.wilkinson@crick.ac.uk
Alternate sites:
Group members:
| Postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows | |||
| Dr | Abhimanyu | Abhimanyu | Postdoctoral Fellow |
| Dr | Du Bruyn | Elsa | Doctoral student |
| Ms | Goliath | Rene | Masters student |
| Mr | Moseki | Moeketsi Raymond | Doctoral Student |
| Mr | Ndengane | Mthawelanga | Doctoral Student |
| Dr | Peton | Nashied | Postdoctoral Fellow |
| Dr | Seeger | Allison | Postdoctoral Fellow |
| Ms | Sibiya | Nomfundo | Doctoral student |
| Staff | |||
| Ms | Bam | Veronica | Research Nurse |
| Dr | Berkowitz | Natacha | Research Medical Officer |
| Dr | Coussens | Anna | Senior Lecturer in Pathology |
| Dr | Du Bruyn | Elsa | Research Medical Officer |
| Dr | Esmail | Hanif | Honorary Research Associate, UK |
| Ms | Gobe | Nonceba | Clinical Research Worker |
| Ms | Goliath | Rene | Projects Co-ordinator |
| Ms | Jackson | Amanda | Data Systems Manager |
| Mrs | January | Vanessa | Lab Manager |
| Mr | Kwaza | Bekekile | Clinical Research Worker |
| Mr | Lakay | Francisco | Senior Technical Officer |
| Ms | Letswalo | Kgothatso | Laboratory Technologist |
| Ms | Mashinyira | Antoneta | Data Control Co-ordinator |
| Ms | Mayiya | Mpume | Clinical Research Worker |
| Ms | McMaster | Meagan | Senior Data Capturer |
| Ms | Modolo | Khuthazwa | Research Nurse |
| Mrs | Morar | Tania | Part time Pharmacist |
| Mrs | Morey | Erika | Administrative Assistant |
| Dr | Mukasa | Sandra | Research Medical Officer |
| Ms | Ngcuka | Thembisa | Clinical Research Worker |
| Mrs | Omar-Davies | Nashreen | Radiographer |
| Dr | Rangaka | Molebogeng | Honorary Research Associate, UK |
| Dr | Riou | Catherine | Senior Research Officer |
| Dr | Rockwood | Neesha | Honorary Research Associate, UK |
| Ms | Ruzive | Sheena | Laboratory Technologist |
| Mr | Sindelo | Sicelo | Research Nurse |
| Dr | Sossen | Bianca | Medical Research Officer |
| Ms | Thamae | Goitseone | Technical Officer |
| Dr | Thienemann | Friedrich | Senior Research Medical Officer |
| Mrs | Van Wyhe | Pamela | Assistant Nurse |
| Hon. A/Prof | Wilkinson | Katalin | Senior Scientist, Associate Professor |
| Ms | Wood | Kathryn | Centre Operations Manager |
| Mrs | Worship | Celeste | Data Capturer |
Collaborations:
Anne O'Garra, NIMR, UK
Clifton Earl Barry III, National Institutes of Health
Helen McShane, Oxford University
Alan Sher, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA
Jo-Anne Flynn, University of Pittsburgh, USA
Robert S Heyderman, University College London, UK
Gary Maartens, Division of Pharmacology and IDM, UCT
Bongani Mayosi, Department of Medicine and IDM, UCT