Antibody protection against tummy viruses in Bangladeshi mothers and babies

Humoral Immunity to Enteric Viruses among Infants and Mothers in Bangladesh

NIH-funded research Immport Therapeutics, INC. · NIH-11141785

Researchers will look for antibodies in mothers, breast milk, and infants in Bangladesh that protect babies from viral diarrhea.

Quick facts

Grant typeR21 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionImmport Therapeutics, INC. NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Irvine, United States)
Project IDNIH-11141785 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If I or my baby join, the team will collect breast milk and blood samples from mothers and their infants at about 18 weeks and one year of age and test them for antibodies to common gut viruses. They will build a protein microarray containing many parts of adenovirus, astrovirus, norovirus, rotavirus and sapovirus to see which antibody responses are linked to protection. By comparing antibody profiles in mothers and infants with who gets diarrhea, they hope to identify viral proteins that could be used in vaccines. The work focuses on real immune markers that could inform maternal and pediatric vaccine development for low-resource settings.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are mothers and their infants in Bangladesh, particularly infants around 18 weeks and one year old who can provide blood samples and whose mothers can provide breast milk.

Not a fit: Older children, adults, or people not exposed to the targeted enteric viruses would be unlikely to see direct benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to vaccine targets that better protect infants from viral diarrhea, especially in low-resource settings.

How similar studies have performed: Antibody-correlate approaches have helped guide other vaccine developments, but applying a comprehensive enteric virus protein array to maternal and infant samples is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Irvine, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.