Wits RHI
Research
18 March 2026
Landmark South African study shows HPV vaccination protects girls living with HIV
New research shows first population-level evidence globally that a national HPV vaccination programme can be highly effective in a high HIV-prevalence setting. The study was led by researchers from Wits RHI at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) in partnership with the Kirby Institute (University of New South Wales).
18 July 2025
New Evidence Confirms Long-Acting PrEP Safe During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Professor Sinead Delany-Moretlwe presented findings from the HPTN 084 open-label study, showing no HIV transmissions, no maternal deaths, and healthy birth outcomes among over 400 pregnancies. PURPOSE 1 and Tshireletso trial data also support minimal drug transfer in breast milk and no need for dose adjustments.With this evidence, WHO’s 2025…
2 July 2025
Prof Delany-Moretlwe urges stronger cervical cancer prevention and screening efforts in Health-e News
In a recent Health-e News feature, Wits RHI’s Director of Research, Professor Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, spotlighted urgent gaps in South Africa’s cervical cancer response from low screening coverage to poor follow-up systems. “Getting women screened, tested, and treated remains a big problem,” she stressed, especially for women living with HIV, who…
23 April 2025
Strengthening Global Vaccine Leadership: Prof Helen Rees Appointed to IVI Board of Trustees
New Global Role for Prof Helen Rees at the International Vaccine Institute.
19 February 2025
Wits RHI to lead study on mpox seroprevalence in SA
Professor Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, Director of Research at Wits RHI, alongside key partners including the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the University of Cape Town (UCT), the African Health Research Institute (AHRI), the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation (DTHF), and community based NGOs, were awarded a South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) grant to study the seroprevalence of the virus in high-risk…
11 February 2025
Explainer: HIV, HPV and cervical cancer
Research by the Wits RHI found that 79% of HIV-positive men tested in inner-city Johannesburg had genital HPV infections. A separate study from UCT found that 74% of HIV-positive women were infected with HPV, compared to under 37% of HIV-negative women. When the immune system’s guard is lowered by HIV, opportunistic infections are…
27 November 2024
Research on Long-Acting Injectable CAB-LA in Pregnant Women
Groundbreaking research led by Professor Sinead Delany-Moretlwe of Wits RHI, presented at AIDS 2024, demonstrates that long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) is well tolerated in pregnant women. The study, conducted as part of the HPTN 084 open-label extension, assessed maternal safety and pregnancy outcomes among 2,472 participants. Findings revealed no maternal…
27 September 2024
Call For Applications
African HIV, Infectious Diseases And Global Health Implementation Research Institute (AFRI-HIGH-IRI) Hub Inaugural Cohort of Implementation Science Trainees in HIV and Infectious Diseases PROGRAM LEADERSHIP: ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Residence: Must reside in Africa Interest: Strong interest in Implementation Science Research in HIV, Infectious Diseases, and related conditions Commitment: Demonstrated commitment to…
13 August 2024
Long-Acting Cabotegravir Well Tolerated in Pregnant Women
Long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) appears to be well tolerated in pregnant women, according to a study presented at AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, held from July 22 to 26 in Munich. Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, M.B.B.Ch., Ph.D., from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and colleagues reported on…
28 July 2024
AIDS 2024: CAB-LA Pregnancy Safety Data from HPTN 084
At the AIDS 2024 conference in Munich, HPTN 084 researchers presented new safety and pharmacokinetic (PK) findings for long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) when used before and during pregnancy. The findings show that CAB-LA used as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was generally well tolerated and generally safe for both pregnant cisgender women…
27 July 2024
Top-level medical science in the heart of Hillbrow
Located in the vibrant heart of Hillbrow, the Wits RHI is celebrated for its pioneering research and significant impact on public health. This recognition follows a visit by the Jozi My Jozi delegation to Wits RHI.
25 July 2024
Press Release ViiV Healthcare announces positive new data for Apretude use during pregnancy at AIDS 2024
Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, MBBCh, Ph.D., DTM&H, HPTN 084 Protocol Chair, and Research Director at Wits RHI, University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, said: “Women of childbearing age in sub-Saharan Africa experience disproportionately higher rates of HIV incidence, making it essential that we study how HIV medicines impact their health and…
24 July 2024
Professor Sinead Delany-Moretlwe Featured in NIH Press Release: Long-Acting Injectable Cabotegravir for HIV Prevention Deemed Safe During Pregnancy
During the 2024 International AIDS Conference, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a pivotal press statement highlighting groundbreaking research on the safety of long-acting injectable cabotegravir for HIV prevention during pregnancy.
23 July 2024
Witwatersrand Professor Named Co-Principal Investigator in Landmark HIV Prevention Network
Sinéad Delany-Moretlwe has been selected as a co-principal investigator for the groundbreaking HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN). HPTN is a collaborative clinical trials network with 67 sites in North and South America, Africa and South East Asia. It develops and tests the safety and efficacy of interventions designed o prevent the acquisition and transmission…
18 July 2024
HPV vaccination switching to single-dose and private schools to get government supply
Professor Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, Director of Research at Wits RHI, told Spotlight that existing data suggests “if you’re on antiretroviral therapy, you’re likely to have the same response to a single dose as someone who is not living with HIV”. A very small fraction of girls in South Africa are HIV…
18 July 2024
SA professor appointed co-principal investigator in landmark HIV prevention network
Sinéad Delany-Moretlwe is Professor of Global Health and Infectious Diseases and Research Director at Wits RHI. Sinéad Delany-Moretlwe has been selected as a co-principal investigator for the groundbreaking HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN).
26 June 2024
HPV one-dose jab campaign to now include private schools
Professor Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, Director of Research at Wits RHI, told Spotlight that existing data suggest a person on antiretroviral therapy is likely to have the same response to a single dose as someone without HIV. Very few girls in South Africa were HIV positive at the age at which they were…
20 June 2024
HPV vaccination switching to single dose and private schools to get government supply
Prof Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, Director of Research at Wits RHI, told Spotlight that existing data suggests “if you’re on antiretroviral therapy, you’re likely to have the same response to a single dose as someone who is not living with HIV”.
19 June 2024
SA adopts single dose HPV vaccine regimen, extends govt-subsidised jabs to private schools
Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer in women in South Africa. To protect women against cervical cancer, the government launched a national human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination campaign in 2014.
10 May 2024
Ward 21 CRS Hosts BIYELA Protocol Training
On 10 May 2024, the Wits RHI Research Team at Ward 21 CRS, led by Prof. Sinead Delany-Moretlwe (Director of Research at Wits RHI), welcomed visitors including Dr. Lori Newman (Deputy Director STI & Gynecology) and Dr. Lyou-Fu Ma (Portfolio and Platform Lead) from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,…
22 April 2024
Empowering young people is at the heart of Ntsiki Khunju’s efforts to change the world
“Wits RHI is where I got exposed to the concept of STI management, clinical research into vaccines and HIV prevention. I realised that I could be a person who connects and bridges the community and the science.”
8 December 2023
HIV prevention strategies must evolve as ARVs change the perception of risk
Delany-Moretlwe said the uptake of PrEP, with more than a million South Africans initiated on a daily pill, showed a strong appetite for this form of HIV prevention.“But many people who express huge enthusiasm for taking an oral pill daily struggle with that practice in reality,” she said.
2 November 2023
New Gonorrhoea Treatment Shows Positive Results in Trial Sponsored by Non-Profit Partnership
Prof Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, principal investigator for the trial in South Africa, said that the trial had been conducted under difficult circumstances during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The huge investment in HIV trial infrastructure has really given South African scientists the capacity to do trials in infectious diseases and…
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Established in 1994, Wits RHI is part of the Faculty of Health Sciences and the leading research institute of the University of the Witwatersrand.