https://new.immunopaedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Karen-Sichibalo2.jpeg
What is your name?
Karen Sichibalo
What is your current position:
PhD student
Which institute and country do you work in?
Department of Cellular Microbiology, Research Center Borstel-Leibniz Lung Center (FZB) and Tropical Gastroenterology and Nutrition Group (TROPGAN), Zambia
What is your home country?
Zambia
What are your research interests?
Immunology, Virology, Microbiology
Tell us about yourself and your research interests:
I have a growing interest in infectious diseases and host-directed therapy. Currently, I am investigating the clinical impact of vitamin D in people living with HIV, particularly those co-infected with tuberculosis, as these diseases pose significant health challenges in Zambia and Sub-Saharan Africa. I am in the final year of my doctoral studies at the University of Lübeck and the Research Center Borstel. My PhD thesis is focusing on the effects of high-dose vitamin D3 supplementation on innate immunity and antimicrobial responses in adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV that are currently taking part in the randomized double blinded clinical trial called VITALITY. With a growing interest in the field of immunology, microbiology and Virology as well as the use of host-directed therapies, I am dedicated to contributing to the global fight against HIV and tuberculosis especially in Sub-Saharan Africa where the two diseases are a huge burden.
What are your online profiles?
ResearchGate – Karen Sichibalo
LinkedIn – Karen Sichibalo
X – @KarenSichibalo
Immunology Keywords:
Innate Immunity, Immune modulation, antimicrobial responses
