Full Member
Dr. Ruby Bunjun
Membership since:
2018
Field of activity:
About me
Dr Ruby Bunjun is an infectious disease immunologist and Research Officer based at the IDM and funded by the UK MRC African Research Leader’s Fellowship. Dr Bunjun obtained her PhD in 2016, examining the effect of HIV infection on TB immunity. Her postdoctoral work investigated biological factors, such as sexually transmitted infections and hormonal contraceptives, that may increase HIV acquisition risk by altering the female genital tract environment. In 2021, after her postdoc, she received EDCTP2 and Carnegie Corporation Fellowships to understand immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in Africa. Dr Bunjun is passionate about science communication and an advocate for better mental health in academia.
Degrees:
2008
Undergraduate
Structural, Cell and Molecular Biology
2016
Doctorate
Medical and Health Sciences incl Neurosciences
Publications resulting from Research
Chege, G.K., Burgers, W.A., Stutz, H., Meyers, A.E., Chapman, R., Kiravu, A., Bunjun, R., Shephard, E.G., Jacobs, W.R., Rybicki, E.P. and Williamson, A.L. Robust immunity to an auxotrophic Mycobacterium bovis BCG-VLP prime-boost HIV vaccine candidate in a nonhuman primate model. Journal of Virology 87 (2013): 5151-5160.
Burgers, W.A., Ginbot, Z., Shen, Y.J., Chege, G.K., Soares, A.P., Müller, T.L., Bunjun, R., Kiravu, A., Munyanduki, H., Douglass, N. and Williamson, A.L. The novel capripoxvirus vector lumpy skin disease virus efficiently boosts modified vaccinia Ankara human immunodeficiency virus responses in rhesus macaques. Journal of General Virology 95 (2014): 2267-2272.
Bunjun, R., Riou, C., Müller, T.L., Kiravu, A., Ginbot, Z., Oni, T., Goliath, R., Wilkinson, R.J. and Burgers, W.A. Selective reduction of IFN-γ single positive mycobacteria-specific CD4+ T cells in HIV-1 infected individuals with latent tuberculosis infection. Tuberculosis 101 (2016): 25-30.
Bunjun, R., Riou, C., Soares, A.P., Thawer, N., Müller, T.L., Kiravu, A., Ginbot, Z., Oni, T., Goliath, R., Kalsdorf, B., von Groote-Bidlingmaier, F., Hanekom, W., Walzl, G., Wilkinson, R.J., Burgers, W.A. Effect of HIV on the frequency and number of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific CD4+ T cells in blood and the airways in latent tuberculosis infection. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 216 (2017): 1550-1560.
Day, C.L., Abrahams, D.A., Bunjun, R., Stone, L., de Kock, M., Walzl, G., Wilkinson, R.J., Burgers, W.A. and Hanekom, W.A. PD-1 expression on Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific CD4 T cells is associated with bacterial load in human tuberculosis. Frontiers in Immunology 9 (2018)1995.
Bunjun, R., Omondi, F.M., Makatsa, M.S., Keeton, R., Wendoh, J.M., Müller, T.L., Prentice, C.S., Wilkinson, R.J., Riou, C. and Burgers, W.A. Th22 cells are a major contributor to the mycobacterial CD4+ T cell response and are depleted during HIV infection. The Journal of Immunology 207 (2021): 1239-1249.
Bunjun, R., Soares, A.P., Thawer, N., Müller, T.L., Kiravu, A., Ginbot, Z., Corleis, B., Murugan, B.D., Kwon, D.S., von Groote-Bidlingmaier, F., Riou, C. and Burgers, W.A. Dysregulation of the Immune Environment in the Airways During HIV Infection. Frontiers in immunology (2021):2630.
Dabee, S., Tanko, R.F., Brown, B.P., Bunjun, R., Balle, C., Feng, C., Konstantinus, I.N., Jaumdally, S.Z., Onono, M., Nair, G., et al. Comparison of Female Genital Tract Cytokine and Microbiota Signatures Induced by Initiation of Intramuscular DMPA and NET-EN Hormonal Contraceptives-a Prospective Cohort Analysis. Frontiers in immunology (2021):5296.
Bunjun, R., Tanko, R.F., Jaumdally, S.Z., Noël-Romas, L., Ayele, H., Brown, B.P., Gamieldien, H., Harryparsad, R., Dabee, S. et al. Initiating intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-IM) increases frequencies of Th17-like HIV target cells in the genital tract of women in South Africa: a randomised trial. Clinical Infectious Diseases (2022): 284.
Mungra, N., Biteghe, F.A.N, Malindi, Z., Huysamen, A.M., Karaan, M., Hardcastle, N.S., Bunjun, R., Chetty, S. et al. CSPG4 as a target for the specific killing of triple‑negative breast cancer cells by a recombinant SNAP‑tag‑based antibody‑auristatin F drug conjugate. J. Cancer Res. Clin. Oncol., (2023).
Brown, B.P., Feng, C., Tanko, R.F., Jaumdally, S.Z., Bunjun, R., Dabee, S., Happel, A.U., Gasper, M., Nyangahu, D.D., Onono, M., Nair, G. et al. Copper intrauterine device increases vaginal concentrations of inflammatory anaerobes and depletes lactobacilli compared to hormonal options in a randomized trial. Nature Communications, 14 (2023): p.499.
Makatsa, M.S., Omondi, F.M.A., Bunjun, R., Wilkinson, R.J., Riou, C., Burgers, W.A. Characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific Th22 cells and the effect of tuberculosis disease and HIV co-infection. The Journal of Immunology 209.3 (2022): 446-455.
Tanko, R.F., Bunjun, R., Dabee, S., Jaumdally, S.Z., Onono, M., Nair, G, Harryparsad, R., Happel, A-U., Gamieldien, H., Qumbelo, Y. et al. Effect of contraception on genital cytokines in women randomized to copper intrauterine device, intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate or levonorgestrel implant. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 226 (2022): 907-919.
Mungra, N., Nsole Biteghe, F.A., Huysamen, A.M., Hardcastle, N.S., Bunjun, R., Naran, K., Lang, D., Richter, W., Hunter, R. and Barth, S. An Investigation into the In Vitro Targeted Killing of CD44-Expressing Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells Using Recombinant Photoimmunotherapeutics Compared to Auristatin-F-Based Antibody-Drug Conjugates. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 21(2024): 4098-4115.
Spracklen, T.F., Day, J., Van Der Ross, H., Butters, C., Benede, N., Walters, A., Bunjun, R., Moyo-Gwete, T., Madzivhandila, M., Mendelsohn, S.C. and Scriba, T.J., 2025. Humoral, T cell and immune gene expression responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in a small group of children with previous MIS-C. Vaccine, 62 (2025): p.127461.
Bunjun, R., Lurie, M., Dabee, S., Barnabas, S., Maseko, V., Jaumdally, S.Z., Gamieldien, H., Lewis, D.A., Jaspan, H.B., Gill, K. et al. Chlamydia trachomatis-specific T cell immunity reflects widespread exposure in South African adolescents and young women. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 233 (2026): e290-e300.