Dr Teagan Van Wyk

Research Interests

I am a research medical officer focused primarily on HIV-associated cryptococcal disease. The projects I am involved with include qualitative and epidemiological studies, observational cohorts and clinical trials investigating the use of both existing and new anti-fungal drugs for the prevention of life-threatening complications of cryptococcal disease, particularly cryptococcal meningitis. Through collaboration with laboratory-based researchers at the Neuroscience Institute, we also aim to improve the understanding of the neuro-immunological host response to cryptococcal disease.

Individuals living with advanced HIV disease are a particularly vulnerable population and cryptococcal meningitis remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in this group; with 75% of cryptococcal meningitis associated deaths occuring in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the EFFECT and 5FC-PROTECT clinical trials we aim to investigate alternate treatment strategies targeting cryptococcal antigenaemia for the prevention of cryptococcal meningitis. By collaborating with Rachael Dangarembizi's CryptoLab we aim to improve the understanding of host factors across the spectrum of cryptococcal disease in order to identify potential targets for use in screening, testing and treatment in the future. This will be achieved through collaboration and integration of various research modalities (both clinical and laboratory-based).

Research Areas

Clinical Neuroscience