Human African Trypanosomiasis

                  And Leishmaniasis

                         Diagnostics

TRYLEIDIAG

Network

Dr Monique Wasunna (MBChB, MSc, PhD, DTM&H) is the Assistant Director  KEMRI and Director of Centre for Clinical Research. She is a physician who has specialized in Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease. Dr Wasunna has vast experience in clinical research and is a trained WHO Clinical Monitor. She has been Principal Investigator of many projects in the field of leishmaniasis treatment and diagnosis, HIV management and Malaria clinical trials. Dr Wasunna has special interests in Neglected Diseases and is co-ordinating the DNDi Africa activities. Currently, she is involved in a multicentre Clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Paramomycin in Africa. She is collaborating with Sudan and Ethiopia.

 

Dr. Margaret Mbuchi (BSc., MSc., PhD) is senior research officer at the Centre for Clinical Research. She is specialised in parasite molecular biology and immunology.  She obtained a MSc. in biochemical and molecular parasitology at the University of Salford, UK in 1995 and has recently obtained a PhD in immunology of infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 2004, where she worked on the interactions of Leishmania parasites with host’s pattern recognition receptors.  She has had previous experience in field  studies in seroprevalence surveys of hydatid disease in the Northern parts of Kenya as part of a collaboration between KEMRI and the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) as well as immunodiagnosis of hydatidosis.

 

Dr Jane Mbui (MBchB, M.MED, MSC) is senior research officer at the Centre for Clinical Research. Dr. Jane Mbui is a medical doctor who has also specialised in internal medicine and disease control. Dr Mbui is currently co-ordinating a WHO field based study entitled “Field evaluation of novel diagnostic tests for visceral leishmaniasis: freeze dried DAT, RK 39 dipstick and latex agglutination urine test- a multicentre  study” which is currently ongoing. She has been involved in several Leishmania studies and was the PI of a recent epidemiological study entitled “Epidemilogical aspects of visceral leishmaniasis in Baringo district, Kenya.

 

Charles Magiri is a Principal Laboratory Technologist with a higher national diploma specialised in immunology, bacteriology and virology and also has experience in field work in Leishmania projects in the centre. He will assist with the establishment of pathogen and patient sample cryobank.

 

Frank Basiye is a medical laboratory technologist with a higher national diploma in clinical chemistry, and has experience in field work on Leishmaniasis studies. He also has experience in clinical (drug) trials—biochemistry (on Leishmania patients). He is pursuing an MSc degree in Medical Biochemistry at the Kenyatta University (Kenya), and currently conducting his Thesis “Standard protocols for sampling, storage and preservation of bio-clinical material” at the KIT Biomedical-Royal Tropical Institute– Netherlands. This Thesis is funded under the TRYLEIDIAG program. Upon completion the standard protocols will be used in handling of samples in the TRYLEIDIAG study. He will be responsible for molecular aspects of the study upon return to KEMRI following completion of his training at the KIT Biomedical-Royal Tropical Institute– Netherlands.

 

George Kirigi is a clinical Officer at the Centre for Clinical Research with a vast expertise in field projects on Leishmaniasis at the centre. He has experience in patient screening and treatment on the field and has carried out numerous splenic aspirates on patients suspected to have Leishmaniasis.