EDCTP Alumni Network

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All Profiles

Dr Rubina Bunjun

Call Career Development Fellowship (CDF)
Programme EDCTP2
Start Date 2021-06-01
End Date 2024-05-31
Project Code TMA2020CDF-3187
Status Active

Title

Assessing cross-reactive and pre-existing immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in adolescents

Host Organisation

Institution Country
University of Cape Town (UCT) South Africa

Current Organisation

University of Cape Town

Current Job Title

Junior Research Fellow

Students Supervised

Type Name Title University Start Date End Date
MSc Micaela Lurie University of Cape Town 2019 2021
MSc Vennesa Subbiah University of Cape Town 2022

Memberships

Role Committee/board Start Date End Date
Review Editor Frontiers Reproductive Health 2019

Education

Institution Degree Year
University of Cape Town, South Africa BSc
University of Cape Town, South Africa BSc (Hons)
University of Cape Town, South Africa PhD

Areas Of Specialisation

Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (LRTIs)

Grants

Assessing Immunological Sequelae of COVID-19
Grant Code:
22/04
Source of funding:
Poliomyelitis Research Foundation Research Grant
Amount:
5962.12
Role:
Principal Investigator
Start Date:
2023-01-01
End Date:
2024-01-01

Publications

Effect of HIV on the Frequency and Number of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Specific CD4<sup>+</sup> T Cells in Blood and Airways during Latent M. tuberculosis Infection
Authors:
Bunjun, R.
Riou, C.
Soares, A.P.
Thawer, N.
Müller, T.L.
Kiravu, A.
Ginbot, Z.
Oni, T.
Goliath, R.
Kalsdorf, B.
Von Groote-Bidlingmaier, F.
Hanekom, W.
Walzl, G.
Wilkinson, R.J.
Burgers, W.A.
Date:
2017-01-01
Journal:
Journal of Infectious Diseases
Content:
Identifiers:
DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jix529
EID: 2-s2.0-85040034674
Robust immunity to an auxotrophic Mycobacterium bovis BCG-VLP prime-boost HIV vaccine candidate in a nonhuman primate model
Authors:
Chege, G.K.
Burgers, W.A.
Stutz, H.
Meyers, A.E.
Chapman, R.
Kiravu, A.
Bunjun, R.
Shephard, E.G.
Jacobs Jr., W.R.
Rybicki, E.P.
Williamson, A.-L.
Date:
2013-01-01
Journal:
Journal of Virology
Content:
Identifiers:
DOI: 10.1128/JVI.03178-12
EID: 2-s2.0-84876330020
Selective reduction of IFN-γ single positive mycobacteria-specific CD4+ T cells in HIV-1 infected individuals with latent tuberculosis infection
Authors:
Riou, C.
Bunjun, R.
Müller, T.L.
Kiravu, A.
Ginbot, Z.
Oni, T.
Goliath, R.
Wilkinson, R.J.
Burgers, W.A.
Date:
2016-01-01
Journal:
Tuberculosis
Content:
Identifiers:
DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2016.07.018
EID: 2-s2.0-84993965512
Characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific Th22 cells and the effect of tuberculosis disease and HIV co-infection
Authors:
Mohau S. Makatsa , author
F. Millicent A. Omondi , author
Rubina Bunjun , author
Robert J. Wilkinson , author
Catherine Riou , author
Wendy A. Burgers , author
Date:
Journal:
Content:
Identifiers:
DOI: 10.1101/2020.10.22.20217521
PD-1 Expression on Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Specific CD4 T Cells Is Associated With Bacterial Load in Human Tuberculosis
Authors:
Date:
2018-01-01
Journal:
Frontiers in Immunology
Content:
Identifiers:
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01995
The novel capripoxvirus vector lumpy skin disease virus efficiently boosts modified vaccinia Ankara human immunodeficiency virus responses in rhesus macaques
Authors:
Burgers, W.A.
Ginbot, Z.
Shen, Y.-J.
Chege, G.K.
Soares, A.P.
Müller, T.L.
Bunjun, R.
Kiravu, A.
Munyanduki, H.
Douglass, N.
Williamson, A.-L.
Date:
2014-01-01
Journal:
Journal of General Virology
Content:
Identifiers:
DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.067835-0
EID: 2-s2.0-84907205642
Dysregulation of the Immune Environment in the Airways During HIV Infection
Authors:
Date:
2021-06-30
Journal:
Frontiers in Immunology
Content:
HIV-1 increases susceptibility to pulmonary infection and disease, suggesting pathogenesis in the lung. However, the lung immune environment during HIV infection remains poorly characterized. This study examined T cell activation and the cytokine milieu in paired bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and blood from 36 HIV-uninfected and 32 HIV-infected participants. Concentrations of 27 cytokines were measured by Luminex, and T cells were phenotyped by flow cytometry. Blood and BAL had distinct cytokine profiles (p=0.001). In plasma, concentrations of inflammatory cytokines like IFN-γ (p=0.004) and TNF-α (p=0.004) were elevated during HIV infection, as expected. Conversely, BAL cytokine concentrations were similar in HIV-infected and uninfected individuals, despite high BAL viral loads (VL; median 48,000 copies/ml epithelial lining fluid). HIV-infected individuals had greater numbers of T cells in BAL compared to uninfected individuals (p=0.007); and BAL VL positively associated with CD4+ and CD8+ T cell numbers (p=0.006 and p=0.0002, respectively) and CXCL10 concentrations (p=0.02). BAL T cells were highly activated in HIV-infected individuals, with nearly 2-3 fold greater frequencies of CD4+CD38+ (1.8-fold; p=0.007), CD4+CD38+HLA-DR+ (1.9-fold; p=0.0006), CD8+CD38+ (2.8-fold; p=0.0006), CD8+HLA-DR+ (2-fold; p=0.022) and CD8+CD38+HLA-DR+ (3.6-fold; p&lt;0.0001) cells compared to HIV-uninfected individuals. Overall, this study demonstrates a clear disruption of the pulmonary immune environment during HIV infection, with readily detectable virus and activated T lymphocytes, which may be driven to accumulate by local chemokines.
Identifiers:
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.707355
Part of ISSN: 1664-3224
Th22 Cells Are a Major Contributor to the Mycobacterial CD4+ T Cell Response and Are Depleted During HIV Infection
Authors:
Bunjun R
Omondi F
Makatsa M
Keeton R
Milimu JW
Muller T
Prentice C
Wilkinson RJ
Riou C
Burgers W
Date:
2021-08-13
Journal:
Journal of Immunology
Content:
Identifiers:
OTHER-ID: 631287d5-f7a1-4c80-b9aa-9dc737d3f899
ISSN: 0022-1767
DOI: doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900984

Projects

Assessing cross-reactive and pre-existing immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in adolescents (ACROSS)
Fellow:
Rubina Bunjun
Collaborators:
Name Country Institution
Rubina Bunjun South Africa University of Cape Town
Objectives:
The overall aim of this study is to characterise pre-existing antibody and T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in South African adolescents. Aim 1: To characterise pre-existing antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in unexposed South African adolescents. We need to determine whether there are pre-existing antibodies in adolescents and whether they had previous infections with other coronaviruses. Therefore, antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 and common cold coronaviruses will be measured in samples collected from adolescents (n=150; 15-19 years old) before the COVID-19 pandemic. We will compare these responses to those in adults, also using pre-pandemic samples (n=35). Aim 2: To characterise cross-reactive T cell immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in unexposed adolescents. T cell responses may last longer than antibody responses. Studies show that pre-existing T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 are detected more often than antibody responses. Therefore, we will measure and compare T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in pre-pandemic samples collected from adolescents (n=50), and adults (n=20). Aim 3: To compare antibody and T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 in recovered adolescents and adults. We will determine whether adolescents (n=28; 15-19 years old) have a better immune response to SARS-CoV-2 compared to adults (n=28; 20 years old) because of pre-existing immunity by comparing immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in recovered adolescents and adults.
Sites:
Cape Town, South Africa
Study Design:
Observational
Subjects:
Adolescents and Adults
Outcomes:
The proposed study will generate important new knowledge on immunity in adolescents, who are typically understudied during this pandemic. Findings from this study will also have implications for the design of interventions, especially vaccines and community serological tests.]
Linked Grant:
TMA Career Development Fellowships
Start Date:
2021-07-01
End Date:
2024-06-30

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