How maternal IgD antibodies cross the placenta to help newborns
Mechanism and function of transplacental IgD
This project looks at whether antibodies called IgD that mothers make and pass to their babies before birth help protect newborns from allergies and airway infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wayne State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Detroit, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11124029 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a parent's point of view, researchers will collect blood and placental samples from pregnant people and their newborns and measure IgD levels and IgD bound to specific foods or vaccines. They will also study how IgD interacts with newborn immune cells like basophils in the lab and use mouse experiments to test how maternal IgD affects early allergic and infection responses. The team combines human sample testing, cellular lab work, and animal models to understand how IgD crosses the placenta and whether it boosts neonatal immune defenses. This work aims to reveal if boosting maternal IgD could be a way to protect infants.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants would be pregnant people (and their newborns) receiving routine vaccines like Tdap or with documented food exposures during pregnancy who can provide blood and placental samples.
Not a fit: People who are not pregnant, adults with long-established allergies, or those unwilling to provide pregnancy or newborn samples are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could point to maternal vaccines or other ways to boost IgD transfer before birth to reduce newborn food allergies and airway infections.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work shows IgD can help mucosal immunity and correlates with protection after oral immunotherapy, but the specific role of placental IgD transfer is a newer area of study.
Where this research is happening
Detroit, United States
- Wayne State University — Detroit, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Kang — Wayne State University
- Study coordinator: Chen, Kang
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 below.