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Sarah Pett, Professor of Infectious Diseases

Between 2000-2013 Sarah was based at the Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales where she lead several international, randomised controlled trials, across more than 60 centres in Australia, Asia, Europe and Latin America. i.e. ESPRIT, SILCAAT (Phase III interleukin-2 studies), START (’when to start Antiretroviral therapy’) and the Phase IV maraviroc (a CCR5 blocker) switch study, MARCH.

She joined the MRC CTU at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology and the Institute for Global Health, UCL in September 2013, She has chaired the Infections theme at the MRC CTU at UCL since January 2016. Her academic and clinical research interests fall broadly into 3 main areas, Treatment optimisation for infections, Immunomodulatory therapy for HIV and other infectious diseases; Immunopathogenesis of infections. She is also an Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust and a Visiting Professional Fellow at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.


Selected publications

Beigel JH, Tomashek KM, Dodd LE, Mehta AK, Zingman BS, Kalil AC, Hohmann E, Chu HY, Luetkemeyer A, Kline S, Lopez de Castilla D, Finberg RW, Dierberg K, Tapson V, Hsieh L, Patterson TF, Paredes R, Sweeney DA, Short WR, Touloumi G, Lye DC, Ohmagari N, Oh MD, Ruiz-Palacios GM, Benfield T, Fätkenheuer G, Kortepeter MG, Atmar RL, Creech CB, Lundgren J, Babiker AG, Pett S, Neaton JD, Burgess TH, Bonnett T, Green M, Makowski M, Osinusi A, Nayak S, Lane HC; ACTT-1 Study Group Members. Remdesivir for the Treatment of Covid-19 - Final Report. N Engl J Med 2020; 383:1813-1826 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2007764

Davey RT Jr, Fernández-Cruz E, Markowitz N, Pett S, Babiker AG, Wentworth D, Khurana S, Engen N, Gordin F, Jain MK, Kan V, Polizzotto MN, Riska P, Ruxrungtham K, Temesgen Z, Lundgren J, Beigel JH, Lane HC, Neaton JD; INSIGHT FLU-IVIG Study Group. Among Anti-influenza hyperimmune intravenous immunoglobulin for adults with influenza A or B infection (FLU-IVIG): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Respir Med. 2019 Nov;7(11):951-963. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(19)30253-X. Epub 2019 Sep 30

Hakim J, Musiime V, Szubert AJ, Mallewa J, Siika A, Agutu C, Walker S, Pett SL, Bwakura-Dangarembizi M, Lugemwa A, Kaunda S, Karoney M, Musoro G, Kabahenda S, Nathoo K, Maitland K, Griffiths A, Thomason MJ, Kityo C, Mugyenyi P, Prendergast AJ, Walker AS, Gibb DM; REALITY Trial Team. Enhanced prophylaxis with antiretroviral therapy for advanced HIV in Africa. N Engl J Med. 2017 Jul 20;377(3):233-245. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1615822

Pett SL, Amin J, Horban A, Andrade-Villanueva J, Losso M, Porteiro N, Sierra Madero J, Belloso W, Tu E, Silk D, Kelleher A, Harrigan R, Clark A, Sugiura W, Wolff M, Gill J, Gatell J, Fisher M, Clarke A, Ruxrungtham K, Prazuck T, Kaiser R, Woolley I, Arnaiz JA, Cooper D, Rockstroh JK, Mallon P, Emery S; Maraviroc Switch (MARCH) Study Group. Maraviroc, as a Switch Option, in HIV-1-infected Individuals With Stable, Well-controlled HIV Replication and R5-tropic Virus on Their First Nucleoside/Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor Plus Ritonavir-boosted Protease Inhibitor Regimen: Week 48 Results of the Randomized, Multicenter MARCH Study. Clin Infect Dis. 2016 Jul 1;63(1):122-32. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciw207.

INSIGHT START Study Group, Lundgren JD, Babiker AG, Gordin F, Emery S, Grund B, Sharma S, Avihingsanon A, Cooper DA, Fätkenheuer G, Llibre JM, Molina JM, Munderi P, Schechter M, Wood R, Klingman KL, Collins S, Lane HC, Phillips AN, Neaton JD. Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy in Early Asymptomatic HIV Infection. N Engl J Med. 2015 Aug 27;373(9):795-807. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1506816. Epub 2015 Jul 20





Research Interests

  • Host directed therapies for HIV-infection and influenza
  • Immune restoration inflammatory syndromes and their management
  • Respiratory viral infections including influenza virus and COVID-19
  • Long-term complications of HIV including bone and liver disease
  • Optimisation of antimicrobial for infectious diseases including HIV, TB, hepatitis C, influenza and COVID-19


Research Areas



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