The Oppenheimer Memorial Trust (OMT) has awarded its prestigious Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award to Stellenbosch University immunologist Professor Clive Gray.

Each year the award recognises world-class research that has far-reaching positive impacts on society.

Gray’s research is focused on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), particularly how foetal development is impacted when mothers are infected with HIV.

His research group has identified a molecule in the placenta that is responsible for poor placental blood vessel formation and potentially related to heart problems in the mother.

“Gray’s research has the potential to revolutionise our understanding of how the human placenta functions and, from that, uncover new pathways to improving mother-child health.

“We have witnessed the successes of previous Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award winners change the game in fields of biochemistry, biology, engineering, history and zoology,” says OMT chairperson Rebecca Oppenheimer.

The fellowship and its accompanying R2.5-million grant is awarded to researchers of the highest calibre who are engaged in internationally significant research that leads to the advancement of knowledge, teaching and development in South Africa and beyond.

Gray’s grant will go towards establishing and validating his hypothesis, as well as for capacity-building in the scientific research community through the involvement of master's and doctoral students.

His project involves HIV clinicians, cardiologists, immunologists, virologists and statisticians and the next step will be to work with the University of Surrey, in England, to further advance the research.

Gray leads the Reproductive Immunology Research Consortium in Africa, which is a consortium of immunologists and paediatricians conducting research into markers and mechanisms of poor birth and perinatal outcomes, with a focus on children who are born to mothers with HIV and other infectious diseases.

Notably, his work is aimed at revealing new knowledge about how to manage the risks of premature birth, low birth weight and learning difficulties, the latter often present later in life for children born to HIV-positive mothers.

His laboratory-based research is niche, using sophisticated techniques and tools.

“We need to know how diseases such as HIV in pregnant women interferes with the growth of the placenta and how this, in turn, impacts adverse birth outcomes and disrupts maternal health,” he states.

Gray further explains that these adverse outcomes have a devastating effect on South African society, where impaired child and maternal health is linked with deprived early childhood development.

While antiretroviral (ARV) treatment given to mothers with HIV has been largely successful in preventing viral transmission from mother to child, many challenges remain.

Many babies born to these mothers are not as healthy as their counterparts who are born to uninfected mothers. They often suffer from stunted growth, are more susceptible to viral and bacterial infections and some are born prematurely.

Gray is investigating whether ARV drugs play a role in these outcomes, or whether these conditions are related to a combination of their mother’s HIV status and the effects of the medication.

He and his team have found that women living with HIV who initiate ARV drug treatment before they become pregnant have a condition known as maternal vascular malperfusion – poor placental blood vessel development.

This condition elevates these mothers’ risk of a premature birth and of their infants being of low birth weight. Generally, the mothers also suffer high blood pressure that can lead to increased risk of cardiovascular difficulties leading to major heart problems.

“Gray's seminal research in HIV immunology represents a pinnacle of scientific accomplishment on the African continent, offering a beacon of hope for mothers and children impacted by HIV.

“The prestigious Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award conferred upon Gray stands as validation of the substantive contributions he has made to the field of HIV science over the course of his distinguished career,” says Stellenbosch University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences dean Professor Elmi Muller.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Wim de Villiers adds that this recognition underscores the groundbreaking nature and international significance of Gray’s work in predicting adverse birth outcomes and maternal cardiovascular health.

“Such awards not only celebrate individual excellence but also highlight the crucial role of funding in advancing research that can have profound impacts on public health in South Africa and globally."