Prof Abraham I Louw [Email]
Emeritus Professor (Biochemistry)

Prof Abraham (Braam) Louw has been a Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry since 2006. His malaria research programme, initiated in 1997, focuses primarily on constructing computer-based three-dimensional structures of malarial proteins, which are perceived to be good targets for drug discovery but difficult to crystallise. This information is used for structure-activity studies to confirm predicted properties, the rational design of potential inhibitors followed by investigations to determine the effects of these inhibitors on parasite survival and response on the transcriptional level and expression of proteins. The results of these and other studies are regularly published in high-ranking and peer-reviewed international journals. He has active collaborators in the UK, Sweden, Germany, France and Australia.

His awards include Mellon Foundation, University Mentoring Programmes and postdoctoral fellowships.  He was a co-founder (1983) of the SA Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SASBMB) of which he is an honorary member and has served, amongst others, as president. He is a co-founder of the Federation of African Societies of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (FASBMB) and initiated and co-founded the SA Malaria Initiative (SAMI) funded by the DST, in 2005. Several technical platforms originated from his malaria research programme including the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Unit (2003) at the University of Pretoria.

As author or co-author he has published 75 peer-reviewed papers and has an ISI h-index of 20. He has published invited reviews, two invited book chapters, two full conference papers and two popular scientific articles. Fourteen students completed their PhD and 29 completed their MSc (often cum laude and with prestigious and competitive bursaries or travel grants) under his co- or supervision since 1985.  Eight of them are currently appointed in academic positions.

He has a B3-rating from the NRF.