KAVI-Institute of Clinical Research (KAVI-ICR) was privileged to have been represented at the Sub-Saharan African Network for TB/HIV Research Excellence (SANTHE) annual consortium meeting (ACM) held in Kigali, Rwanda, at the Marriott Hotel from the 3rd to the 7th of November, 2025. SANTHE aims to shape and drive locally relevant basic, clinical and translational research in Africa, with all of the research conducted under SANTHE being led by African scientists. The ACM was conducted in two parts, with the first part (on 3rd and 4th of November, 2025) involving concurrent workshops and meetings for the SANTHE Scientific Leaders Programme and the Communicate with Impact programme for the SANTHE fellows. We were privileged to have Dr Teresia Muhomah (a senior post-doctoral fellow at KAVI-ICR) as part of the Scientific Leaders Programme, having been selected as a scholar for the second cohort for the 2025/2026 programme. Very huge congratulations to our very own Dr Muhomah for flying KAVI’s flag to the world. This was a great opportunity for her to interact with global intellectuals, exchange research ideas and be coached and mentored in scientific leadership skills. The programme is being facilitated by Dr Simon Kay, a renowned Executive and leadership coach. During this first part of the ACM, Dr Terry also attended an exciting Communications training by Dr Jessica Salzwedel, Senior Program Manager, HIV cure science, AVAC. KAVI-ICR was also represented in the SANTHE/AHRI FameLab pre-conference workshop, designated as Communicate with Impact Programme by Loice Kanda (a SANTHE MSc fellow at KAVI-ICR). The programme provided an intensive training on simplifying and effectively communicating complex scientific concepts, which was followed by competitive rounds of science communication presentations. We are very proud that our very own Loice made it to the top 10 finalists from 40 participants. This was a great achievement given only two days of training.

The second part of the ACM, which was the main meeting, involved the celebration of SANTHE’s 10th anniversary. Different key players in the consortium, including collaborators, academic fellows and funders, echoed SANTHES' great achievements in these 10 years, including mentoring and supporting upcoming researchers, successfully sponsoring students at different university academic levels to completion and graduation, expanding scientific networks to more African countries, with the newest additions being Malawi and Nigeria. In addition, several grants’ outcomes were announced, and KAVI-ICR was not left behind as two of our research fellows were among the grant recipients. We had Dr Magdalene Ameka getting the SANTHE Science Innovation Grant. Dr Ameka’s project seeks to understand how HIV-driven GI dysbiosis affects microbial and leukocyte metabolism in the context of ART and to define the immune cell and microbial metabolome using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Furthermore, as a proof of concept, the project will test whether highly expressed metabolites are able to stimulate favourable immune responses to HIV in vitro. This study is novel in its association of microbial dysbiosis with HIV-specific immune response in the GI tract, and this work will set an essential conceptual framework for future work in understanding how manipulation of the GI microbiome and immunogenic metabolome can aid in HIV cure. We also had Dr Samuel Kariuki from KAVI-ICR getting the SANTHE Collaborative award with Dr Michelle Muthui from KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme. Together, they will investigate the genetic variation that could affect vaccine responsiveness across Kenyan communities. This is a key component of vaccine equity because it will ensure that new vaccines are designed in a manner that ensures they are beneficial to as many people as possible in our community. Dr Muema from KAVI-ICR too, received a collaborative award with Dr Judie Magura from Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa. Dr Muema will assist in determining the immune responses that are associated with HIV cure outcomes in a clinical trial that was done in South Africa. Very huge congratulations to Drs. Ameka, Kariuki and Muema.

We also had Matrona Akiso and Loice Kanda being selected as SANTHE’s Jame Gita Hakim Scholars, the first-ever cohort (2025/2026). The program was launched for the first time during the main meeting. This programme will include once weekly meetings where the scholars will be mentored in effective and efficient communication of their research ideas to potential funders and collaborators, and their research findings to the public, including policy makers involved in shaping the public health policies. The programme aims to enhance the scholars’ leadership capacity as early-career researchers.

The main meeting also included oral and poster presentations from researchers across different African countries. KAVI-ICR had 4 posters by Dr Muema, Dr Muhomah, Matrona Akiso and Loice Kanda. Dr Muema’s poster highlighted the possible nature of long-lived memory B cells. This work could inform immunisation strategies that elicit long-lasting protection.  Dr Muhomah showcased her ongoing work on characterising the HIV reservoir in the female genital tract and blood of Kenyan women, which is SANTHE-funded. Matrona Akiso had a poster on her published work on the impact of microbial diversity and sexually transmitted infections on concentrations of immunoglobulin isotypes in human cervicovaginal mucus, giving insights into HIV-1 transmission. This work highlights the need for considering the local vaginal microenvironment in determining the effectiveness of vaccines targeted at enhancing mucosal humoral immunity. Additionally, the data underlines the need for proper treatment of BV and other STIs, as this could impact the effectiveness of HIV-1 vaccines targeted at enhancing specific immunoglobulin responses in the cervicovaginal mucosa. Another poster was from Loice Kanda, who showcased her SANTHE-funded work on the diversity of the human naïve B cell repertoire and its implications for germline-targeting HIV vaccines.” This work forms part of her SANTHE Fellowship research at KAVI-ICR and the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, and highlights her contributions to advancing understanding of HIV vaccine development.

We also had Dr Daniel Muema receiving the Scientific Achievement of the Year Award. Dr Muema recognised that this award is a vote of confidence for the entire KAVI-ICR community, as it was motivated by the great work being done at the institution, mostly led by emerging research scientists. We highly recognise the KAVI-ICR scientific leadership and mentorship for creating an enabling environment where the scientific leaders of tomorrow can thrive.

Congratulations to the KAVI-ICR team for flying our flag very high in the world, and keep up the excellent work you are doing. Many thanks to SANTHE for the support, and congratulations on 10 years of success and great achievements.