Paul Ogongo, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

Paul (he/him/his) grew up in Siaya, Kenya, before moving to Nairobi, Kenya to attend the University of Nairobi for his undergraduate degree. He later did his MSc at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya. His first lab job was working on vaccine validation and development of new diagnostic tools for Schistosomiasis in the baboon model under Dr. Thomas Kariuki at the Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi, Kenya. After graduation with an MSc in Molecular Medicine, he moved to KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV (K-RITH), now known as Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI), and University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa to join Dr. Alasdair Leslie lab for his PhD degree. Paul’s PhD project studied Lung tissue resident memory T and B-cells in the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans.

When not in the lab, Paul loves watching soccer and he also runs (long distances) for fun.
Education
PhD, 07/2019 - Medical Microbiology, University of KwaZulu Natal
MSc, 11/2014 - Molecular Medicine, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
BSc, 09/2007 - Zoology, University of Nairobi
Honors and Awards
  • TB RAMP Scholar, University of California San Francisco, 2023-2025
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Helen Hay Whitney Foundation, 2021-2024
  • Rising Star, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2019
Publications

  1. Paul Ogongo, Anthony Tran, Florence Marzan, David Gingrich, Melissa Krone, Francesca Aweeka, Cecilia S. Lindestam Arlehamn, Jeffrey N. Martin, Steven G. Deeks, Peter W. Hunt, Joel D. Ernst. High-parameter phenotypic characterization reveals a subset of human Th17 cells that preferentially produce IL-17 against M. tuberculosis antigen. Frontiers in Immunology 2024. PMID:


  2. Ogongo P, Tran A, Marzan F, Gingrich D, Krone M, Aweeka F, Lindestam Arlehamn CS, Martin JN, Deeks SG, Hunt PW, Ernst JD. M. tuberculosis antigen-responsive IL17 + CD4 T cells are disproportionately spared in ART-suppressed HIV. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2023. PMID: 36711855


  3. Ogongo P, Wassie L, Tran A, Columbus D, Sharling L, Ouma G, Ouma SG, Bobosha K, Lindestam Arlehamn CS, Gandhi NR, Auld SC, Rengarajan J, Day CL, Altman JD, Blumberg HM, Ernst JD, TBRU ASTRa Study Group. Rare Variable M. tuberculosis Antigens induce predominant Th17 responses in human infection. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2024. PMID: 38496518


  4. Carly C Young, Mbali N. Mkhonza, Paul Ogongo. Recognition and control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected cells: from basics to the clinic: a NIAID/WGNV workshop report 2023 Recognition and control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected cells: from basics to the clinic: a NIAID/WGNV workshop report 2023 2023. PMID:


  6. Robert Krause; Paul Ogongo; Liku Tezera; Mohamed Ahmed; Ian Mbano; Mark Chambers; Abigail Ngoepe; Magalli Magnoumba; Daniel Muema; Farina Karim;Khadija Khan; Kapongo Lumamba; Kievershen Nargan; Rajhmun Madansein; Adrie JC Steyn; Alex K. Shalek; Paul T Elkington; Alasdair Leslie. B cell heterogeneity in human tuberculosis highlights compartment-specific phenotype and putative functional roles B cell heterogeneity in human tuberculosis highlights compartment-specific phenotype and putative functional roles 2023. PMID:


  7. Ogongo P, Ernst JD. Finding antigens for TB vaccines: the good, the bad and the useless. Nature medicine 2023. PMID: 36604539


  8. Obiero JA, Ogongo P, Mwethera PG, Wiysonge CS. Do vaginal microbicides reduce the risk of HIV acquisition in women? The Pan African medical journal 2022. PMID: 36660088


  9. Ogongo P, Nyakundi RK, Chege GK, Ochola L. The Road to Elimination: Current State of Schistosomiasis Research and Progress Towards the End Game. A Phenomenological Study of Lesbian and Gay People in Leadership Roles: How Perspectives and Priorities Shift in the Workplace a Sexual Orientation Evolves through Social Constructs (Doctoral dissertation) 2022. PMID: 35592327


  10. Nyakundi RK, Hau J, Ogongo P, Nyamongo O, Jeneby M, Akinyi M, Mulei I, Nyundo F, Farah I, Malhotra I, Ozwara H, King CL, Kariuki T. Acquired clinical immunity to malaria in non-human primates co-infected with Schistosoma and Plasmodium parasites. A Phenomenological Study of Lesbian and Gay People in Leadership Roles: How Perspectives and Priorities Shift in the Workplace a Sexual Orientation Evolves through Social Constructs (Doctoral dissertation) 2021. PMID: 34871040


  11. von Borstel A, Chevour P, Arsovski D, Krol JMM, Howson LJ, Berry AA, Day CL, Ogongo P, Ernst JD, Nomicos EYH, Boddey JA, Giles EM, Rossjohn J, Traore B, Lyke KE, Williamson KC, Crompton PD, Davey MS. Repeated Plasmodium falciparum infection in humans drives the clonal expansion of an adaptive γδ T cell repertoire. A Phenomenological Study of Lesbian and Gay People in Leadership Roles: How Perspectives and Priorities Shift in the Workplace a Sexual Orientation Evolves through Social Constructs (Doctoral dissertation) 2021. PMID: 34851691


  12. Ceglia V, Kelley EJ, Boyle AS, Zurawski S, Mead HL, Harms CE, Blanck JP, Flamar AL, Kirschman JH, Ogongo P, Ernst JD, Levy Y, Zurawski G, Altin JA. A Framework to Identify Antigen-Expanded T Cell Receptor Clusters Within Complex Repertoires. A Phenomenological Study of Lesbian and Gay People in Leadership Roles: How Perspectives and Priorities Shift in the Workplace a Sexual Orientation Evolves through Social Constructs (Doctoral dissertation) 2021. PMID: 34917073


  13. Lucy Ochola, Paul Ogongo, Samuel Mungai, Jesse Gitaka, Sara Suliman. Performance evaluation of lateral flow assays for COVID-19 serology. Clinics in Laboratory Medicine 2021. PMID:


  14. Ogongo P, Tezera LB, Ardain A, Nhamoyebonde S, Ramsuran D, Singh A, Ng'oepe A, Karim F, Naidoo T, Khan K, Dullabh KJ, Fehlings M, Lee BH, Nardin A, Lindestam Arlehamn CS, Sette A, Behar SM, Steyn AJ, Madansein R, Kløverpris HN, Elkington PT, Leslie A. Tissue-resident-like CD4+ T cells secreting IL-17 control Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the human lung. The Journal of clinical investigation 2021. PMID: 33848273


  15. Obiero J, Ogongo P, Mwethera PG, Wiysonge CS. Topical microbicides for preventing sexually transmitted infections. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews 2021. PMID: 33719075


  16. Magnoumba M, Singh A, Ogongo P, Roider J, Asowata O, Fehlings M, Karim F, Ndung'u T, Anderson F, Leslie A, Kløverpris H. Unbiased Profiling Reveals Compartmentalization of Unconventional T-Cells Within the Intestinal Mucosa Irrespective of HIV Infection. Frontiers in Immunology 2020. PMID: 33117384


  17. Junghwa Choi Kirschman, Paul Ogongo, Joel Ernst, John Altin. Single cell transcriptomics of the T cell response to Mycobacterium Tuberculosis reveals phenotypic diversity within and between infected individuals. The Journal of Immunology 2020. PMID:


  18. Tezera LB, Bielecka MK, Ogongo P, Walker NF, Ellis M, Garay-Baquero DJ, Thomas K, Reichmann MT, Johnston DA, Wilkinson KA, Ahmed M, Jogai S, Jayasinghe SN, Wilkinson RJ, Mansour S, Thomas GJ, Ottensmeier CH, Leslie A, Elkington PT. Anti-PD-1 immunotherapy leads to tuberculosis reactivation via dysregulation of TNF-a. eLife 2020. PMID: 32091388


  19. Ogongo P, Steyn AJ, Karim F, Dullabh KJ, Awala I, Madansein R, Leslie A, Behar SM. Differential skewing of donor-unrestricted and ?d T cell repertoires in tuberculosis-infected human lungs. The Journal of clinical investigation 2020. PMID: 31763997


  20. Ardain A, Domingo-Gonzalez R, Das S, Kazer SW, Howard NC, Singh A, Ahmed M, Nhamoyebonde S, Rangel-Moreno J, Ogongo P, Lu L, Ramsuran D, de la Luz Garcia-Hernandez M, Ulland TK, Darby M, Park E, Karim F, Melocchi L, Madansein R, Dullabh KJ, Dunlap M, Marin-Agudelo N, Ebihara T, Ndung'u T, Kaushal D, Pym AS, Kolls JK, Steyn A, Zúñiga J, Horsnell W, Yokoyama WM, Shalek AK, Kløverpris HN, Colonna M, Leslie A, Khader SA. Publisher Correction: Group 3 innate lymphoid cells mediate early protective immunity against tuberculosis. Nature 2019. PMID: 31337923


  21. Roider J, Porterfield JZ, Ogongo P, Muenchhoff M, Adland E, Groll A, Morris L, Moore PL, Ndung'u T, Kløverpris H, Goulder PJR, Leslie A. Plasma IL-5 but Not CXCL13 Correlates With Neutralization Breadth in HIV-Infected Children. Frontiers in Immunology 2019. PMID: 31333650


  22. Ardain A, Domingo-Gonzalez R, Das S, Kazer SW, Howard NC, Singh A, Ahmed M, Nhamoyebonde S, Rangel-Moreno J, Ogongo P, Lu L, Ramsuran D, de la Luz Garcia-Hernandez M, K Ulland T, Darby M, Park E, Karim F, Melocchi L, Madansein R, Dullabh KJ, Dunlap M, Marin-Agudelo N, Ebihara T, Ndung'u T, Kaushal D, Pym AS, Kolls JK, Steyn A, Zúñiga J, Horsnell W, Yokoyama WM, Shalek AK, Kløverpris HN, Colonna M, Leslie A, Khader SA. Group 3 innate lymphoid cells mediate early protective immunity against tuberculosis. Nature 2019. PMID: 31168092


  23. Ogongo P, Porterfield JZ, Leslie A. Lung Tissue Resident Memory T-Cells in the Immune Response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Frontiers in Immunology 2019. PMID: 31130965


  24. Attaf M, Malik A, Severinsen MC, Roider J, Ogongo P, Buus S, Ndung'u T, Leslie A, Kløverpris HN, Matthews PC, Sewell AK, Goulder P. Major TCR Repertoire Perturbation by Immunodominant HLA-B*44:03-Restricted CMV-Specific T Cells. Frontiers in Immunology 2018. PMID: 30487790


  25. Jael Obrero, Stephen Rulisa, Paul Ogongo and Charles S Wiysonge. Nifuratel‐Nystatin combination for the treatment of mixed infections of bacterial vaginosis, vulvovaginal candidiasis, and trichomonal vaginitis Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews 2018. PMID:


  27. Carvalho-Queiroz C, Nyakundi R, Ogongo P, Rikoi H, Egilmez NK, Farah IO, Kariuki TM, LoVerde PT. Protective Potential of Antioxidant Enzymes as Vaccines for Schistosomiasis in a Non-Human Primate Model. Frontiers in Immunology 2015. PMID: 26082781


  28. P. Ogongo. Identification and evaluation of Schistosoma mansoni proteins as diagnostic targets for schistosomiasis. International Journal of Infectious Diseases 2014. PMID: