Rachael Dangarembizi

I am a neurobiologist in the Neuroscience Institute at the University Cape Town and I run a research group that focusses on studying the neuroimmune response to neglected fungal infections of the brain. My research aims to gain an understanding of how brain cells interact with fungal pathogens and I am currently working on Cryptococcal infections. I employ rodent models and organotypic brain slice cultures from clinical biospecimens to study the neuroinflammatory mechanisms underlying neurological damage in neurocryptococcosis. I am also a member of the CMM AFRICA Medical Mycology Research Unit at UCT where we also study the biology of the fungal pathogens and how it changes when they encounter the host. Understanding host-pathogen interactions is critical for ultimately developing more effective treatment strategies for fungal neuroinfections.