Dr Léanie Kleynhans is a senior scientist at Stellenbosch University and leads the tuberculosis and diabetes research group. The main goal of this group is to better understand the underlying immune and endocrine mechanisms associated with increased susceptibility to tuberculosis in patients with type 2 diabetes. Given the experience gained during her PhD, investigating the immunomodulatory properties of endogenous and administered hormones, specifically the three-month injectable contraceptive, Medroxyprogesterone acetate (also known as Depo Provera), during mycobacterial infection, the group focuses on the interaction between the immune and endocrine system and the dysregulation of both systems during type 2 diabetes. Specific research areas include 1) understanding clinical characteristics and metabolic differences contributing to diabetes diagnosis in different ethnic groups, 2) characterizing immune and endocrine functions of different immune cell subsets including alveolar macrophages (vs monocyte-derived macrophages) in participants with type 2 diabetes, 3) investigation putative protein targets and their role in immunological pathways associated with dysregulated immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis during type 2 diabetes and 4) pharmacological modulation of immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a diet-induced diabetes murine model.