PhD for HIV-Associated Hypertension Researcher

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HIV positive pre-eclamptic women have higher levels of peripheral natural killer (NK) cells compared to their HIV negative counterparts, a doctoral study by UKZN Human Physiology Lecturer, Dr Anushka Ajith, has found.

The Reproductive Immunologist investigated the deadly duo of HIV and pre-eclampsia, presented the award-winning study at the 2015 Malaysian Society of Hypertension’s Annual Scientific Meeting and graduated with her PhD.

HIV and pre-eclampsia are the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality in South Africa but despite active research, the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia was not fully understood, Ajith said. This is what led to conducting the novel study which elucidated the role of peripheral NK cells and the Th1 and Th2 maternal immune response in HIV associated pre-eclampsia, also determining the correlation of NK cells and their receptors with a panel of Th1 and Th2 cytokines. 

‘The study found that peripheral CD69 NK cells were higher in pre-eclamptic compared to the normotensive group and GM-CSF was significantly different across each of the six study groups.’

‘Our study supports the hypothesis that the levels of peripheral NK cells are higher in the HIV positive pre-eclamptic group compared to the HIV positive normotensive group. It also suggests a neutralisation effect of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in HIV associated pre-eclampsia,’ Ajith said.

‘Further studies may implicate CD69 and GM-CSF as possible biomarkers for early diagnosis of pre-eclampsia development with the ultimate goal of decreasing maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality rates globally,’ she elaborated.

Ajith received a UKZN College of Health Sciences PhD Scholarship for the study in 2013. She was also funded by CAPRISA’s Columbia University-South African AIDS and TB Training Research Programme Scholarship; research funds from CHS Placental Research Groups Professor Anita Naicker and Professor Jack Moodley; UKZN’s Leverage Fund, as well as the institution’s Medical Education Partnership Initiative Research Ethics Fellowship.

‘I would like to obtain funding in order to continue with my research interest in the field of Reproductive Immunology,’ said Ajith.

Ajith said she loved spending time with her husband and three-year-old daughter. ‘My family members are very proud of my achievements especially my mum.’

Lunga Memela