How a mother's immune reaction can cause newborn low platelets (FNAIT)
Official title: Interrogating clinically relevant attributes of maternal alloimmunity in fetal/neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia
Funded at Versiti Blood Health, INC. · NIH-11325309 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to find markers that show which pregnancies are at high risk for severe fetal or newborn low platelets (FNAIT) so affected mothers and babies can get more targeted care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Versiti Blood Health, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Milwaukee, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $458,277 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL169144-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11325309 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant people with a prior affected infant, known platelet alloantibodies, or neonates born with unexplained severe thrombocytopenia would be the most likely candidates to participate or benefit.
✕Less likely to help
People without platelet alloantibodies, no history of FNAIT, or unrelated bleeding disorders are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this specific work.
What this research studies
Researchers are studying the antibodies some pregnant people make that can attack fetal platelets and cause fetal/neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT). They will analyze blood and tissue samples, run lab tests, use animal models, and review existing patient records to find immune features linked to severe bleeding such as intracranial hemorrhage. Because direct experiments in pregnant people are limited, the team will combine human samples with experimental models to build diagnostic signals and test prevention ideas. The goal is to develop tests that identify high‑risk pregnancies and guide safer treatments to prevent serious bleeding in fetuses and newborns.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could produce tests to identify pregnancies at high risk for severe bleeding and support prevention or treatment strategies that reduce brain injury and death in affected infants.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has linked maternal alloantibodies to newborn thrombocytopenia and animal models have shown antibody‑mediated platelet clearance, but reliable predictive tests and proven prevention strategies remain largely unestablished.
Where this research is happening
-
Versiti Blood Health, INC.
Milwaukee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Newman, Debra Kay — Versiti Blood Health, INC.
- Study coordinator: Newman, Debra Kay
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
New ideas to understand, diagnose, and treat heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
A Mayo Clinic led study will look at the different kinds of HIT antibodies to improve diagnosis and treatment for people with HIT.
-
Second-generation BLVRB inhibitors to help chemotherapy patients with low platelets
A new drug candidate is being developed to raise platelet counts in patients whose cancer treatment lowers them, reducing bleeding risk.
-
Immunobiology of vaccine-related clotting after adenovirus vaccines
This research asks how antibodies linked to a rare vaccine-related clotting condition (VITT) interact with specific blood proteins to cause clots after certain COVID-19 vaccines.
-
Understanding and diagnosing Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT)
A project to understand the immune factors behind HIT and develop faster, more accurate tests to help people who need heparin therapy.
-
Fetal and neonatal platelet allergy: understanding why some babies bleed
A study to understand why maternal antibodies cause serious bleeding in babies with FNAIT, using an animal model and human-relevant clues to improve future care for affected families.
-
Molecular mechanisms behind immune-related low platelets and clots in transfusion medicine
This grant supports a team of researchers to understand how immune factors cause low platelets and abnormal clots, with a focus on transfusion medicine and pediatric to adult patients.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.