How inflammation in pregnancy can affect a baby's brain protective barrier
Official title: Prenatal inflammation disrupts blood-brain barrier development and long-term function
Funded at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles · NIH-11345907 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether inflammation in pregnancy weakens a developing baby's blood-brain barrier and leads to lasting brain changes in the offspring.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Children's Hospital of Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2022 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $408,852 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS126981-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11345907 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People concerned about pregnancy infections or inflammation and families of children with neurodevelopmental disorders could follow this research and benefit from future prevention strategies.
✕Less likely to help
This basic laboratory research does not offer direct treatments or enrollment for patients right now, so people seeking immediate clinical care will not benefit directly.
What this research studies
Researchers use a mouse model of maternal immune activation to mimic inflammation during pregnancy and image fetal brains to see how the blood-brain barrier forms. They measure barrier permeability with live fetal MRI and study microglia, the brain’s immune cells, to find molecular pathways involved. The team is testing whether activation of the COX2 pathway in fetal microglia causes the barrier problems and later brain immune changes. Findings will be tracked over time to see if early barrier disruption links to long-term brain and behavior changes in the offspring.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways to prevent or reduce neurodevelopmental risk by protecting the fetal blood-brain barrier or targeting microglial COX2 signaling.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal studies link maternal inflammation to altered offspring brain immune activity and adult blood-brain barrier disruption, but linking prenatal barrier formation and COX2-driven microglial changes is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bonnin, Alexandre — Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Bonnin, Alexandre
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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.