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Natasha Onalenna Moraka

SANTHE PhD Fellow


Botswana Harvard Health Partnership (BHP) Gaborone, Botswana

Project

Dynamics of HIV-1 in recently diagnosed individuals in Botswana in the era of “Treat All”

Collaboration Interests
  • Bioinformatics
  • Biostatistics
  • HIV phenotyping (in vitro work)
  • Next generation sequencing
Supervisor
Simani Gaseitsiwe

Natasha Moraka is a scientist whose research interests lie in infectious diseases, particularly HIV virology. She obtained her MSc in Medical Virology from Stellenbosch University in South Africa, where her research focused on paediatric HIV-1 drug resistance in Botswana.

Her SANTHE PhD project investigates the dynamics of HIV-1 subtype C in the era of “Treat All,” with the aim of identifying virologic factors contributing to ongoing HIV transmission in Botswana despite high antiretroviral therapy coverage. Her work is multidisciplinary, incorporating virology, mathematical modelling, bioinformatics, and biostatistics to study transmitted founder viruses, drug resistance, clinical outcomes, and the potential role of broadly neutralising antibodies in the Botswana context.

She has contributed to several first- and co-authored publications in HIV, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and human papillomavirus (HPV) research. Her long-term goal is to become a leading researcher in virology, with a strong focus on generating impactful scientific contributions.

Publications
Patterns of pre-treatment drug resistance mutations of very early diagnosed and treated infants in botswana Child HIV Exposure and CMV Seroprevalence in Botswana: No Associations With 24-Month Growth and Neurodevelopment Cytomegalovirus Viremia in HIV-1 Subtype C Positive Women at Delivery in Botswana and Adverse Birth/Infant Health Outcomes HIV-1 drug resistance mutations among individuals with low-level viraemia while taking combination ART in Botswana Differences in human immunodeficiency virus-1C viral load and drug resistance mutation between plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in patients with human immunodeficiency virus-associated cryptococcal meningitis in Botswana HIV-1C env and gag Variation in the Cerebrospinal Fluid and Plasma of Patients with HIV-Associated Cryptococcal Meningitis in Botswana Human Immunodeficiency Virus Exposure but Not Early Cytomegalovirus Infection Is Associated With Increased Hospitalization and Decreased Memory T-Cell Responses to Tetanus Vaccine B and T Cell Phenotypic Profiles of African HIV-Infected and HIV-Exposed Uninfected Infants: Associations with Antibody Responses to the Pentavalent Rotavirus Vaccine Prevalence of oncogenic human papillomavirus genotypes in patients diagnosed with anogenital malignancies in Botswana Point-of-Care Cepheid Xpert HIV-1 Viral Load Test in Rural African Communities Is Feasible and Reliable

SANTHE is an Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) flagship programme funded by the Science for Africa Foundation through the DELTAS Africa programme; the Gates Foundation; Gilead Sciences Inc.; and the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard.

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