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Dr Sophie Uyoga

Dr Sophie Uyoga

Contact information


SUyoga@kemri-wellcome.org

Educating communities on sickle cell disease

Sophie Uyoga tells us how she hopes to produce information materials to create awareness about sickle cell disease among communities living on the Kenyan coast.

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Sophie Uyoga

Research scientist

Sophie trained as a biochemist in Kenya then specialized in Immunology and later obtained a PhD from the University of Heidelberg.  Sophie has great interest in understanding how human genetics influences susceptibility to severe malaria. Her work focuses on red blood cell genetic polymorphisms namely hemoglobin S, alpha thalassemia, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and blood group antigens and also explores the effect of co-inheritance on protection afforded against severe malaria and other infectious diseases.

A Mid-Career research fellowship awarded by the Initiative to Develop African Research Leaders (IDeAL) has enabled Sophie to pursue another area of interest. She will be investigating the mechanisms behind the development and treatment of severe anemia with focus on the quality of donor blood on recovery from severe anemia and survival post-transfusion. She envisions that the study findings will inform future strategies to ensure efficient provision of services by blood transfusion services and policy makers in Africa.

Read more on Sophie's work to reduce sickle cell stigma in Africa (The Lancet Haematology, published November 2020).

Publications