Sarah Rowland-Jones

Why did you choose Lund University?

I first heard about Lund University through Joakim Esbjörnsson, who worked with our group in Oxford as a senior post-doctoral fellow well over a decade ago. We had made contact after the publication of his seminal paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, which showed that prior HIV-2 infection resulted in delayed HIV-1 disease progression in a cohort in Guinea-Bissau that the Lund team had studied for many years. 

Through this connection I got to know many of Joakim’s colleagues working in Virology at LU and had the pleasure of visiting the university some years ago for an HIV-2 workshop. 

Over the years, I have worked closely with Joakim, with shared projects and PhD students between our two groups. 

I am now really thrilled to have an opportunity to build on these friendships and shared interests, and to develop strong collaborations with the new Virus Research Centre that opened very recently.

Can you briefly describe your current research?

Our research group in Oxford focuses on host-pathogen interactions in human viral infection, with a particular interest in HIV infection. 

We share a long-standing fascination with HIV-2 infection with the Lund virologists and see this as an under-appreciated model of naturally-attenuated HIV infection, which has huge potential to provide insights that could lead to better candidate HIV vaccines and new therapeutic strategies. 

We have collaborated with African researchers for many years and most recently have been working with a team in Zimbabwe to try and understand why so many older children who have survived into adolescence with perinatally-acquired HIV-1 infection (PHIV) develop major comorbidities, such as chronic heart and lung disease. 

We have recently completed work with this team on the Vitality trial that showed improved bone density in young people with PHIV after supplementation with high dose Vitamin D and calcium: our group was investigating whether this treatment may also have benefits for their immune system.

What will be your main research focus during your time at Lund University?

I am looking forward to working with Joakim and Marianne Jansson on their exciting HIV studies and learning about the other interests in the new Centre for virology research. 

I have recently gained some experience in translational research through leading a Theme in Infection and Immunity in an NIHR-funded Biomedical Research centre in Sheffield, so I am delighted to be based in the department of Translational Medicine in Lund.