How Zika infection before birth can cause early skull bone fusion in babies
Official title: Molecular mechanism of Zika virus-induced premature craniofacial suture closure
Funded at Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru · NIH-11249229 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explains how Zika virus during pregnancy can cause early fusion of a baby's skull sutures and related developmental problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cleveland, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2024 |
| Project end | February 27, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $67,084 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DE033391-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11249229 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be pregnant people with confirmed or suspected Zika infection and infants/children who were prenatally exposed to Zika or who show early cranial suture fusion.
✕Less likely to help
People without prenatal Zika exposure or those whose craniosynostosis is known to be purely genetic would be unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
If your baby was exposed to Zika before birth, researchers will use data from affected children and laboratory models to understand why the skull bones fuse too early. The team will analyze tissue and molecular signals in the cranial suture area, compare findings from a Brazilian cohort of Zika-exposed infants, and use a mouse model that mimics human infection to trace how the virus triggers bone overgrowth. Their work combines clinical observations with laboratory experiments to link the virus to the biological steps that close sutures prematurely. The goal is to find targets that might prevent or treat Zika-related craniofacial problems.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways to prevent or treat early skull fusion in babies exposed to Zika and reduce associated neurodevelopmental issues.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has linked Zika to microcephaly and preliminary cohort data suggest a high rate of craniosynostosis after Zika, but targeted studies of Zika-induced suture fusion are largely new.
Where this research is happening
-
Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru
Cleveland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Weiqiang — Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru
- Study coordinator: Chen, Weiqiang
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How life circumstances affect brain aging in people with end-stage kidney disease
This project looks at how neighborhood, income, education, and personal resilience relate to earlier memory and thinking problems in adults with end-stage kidney disease.
-
Mitigating HIV-Associated Premature Aging with Cannabinoids
A doctor-scientist team is testing whether cannabis-based anti-inflammatory effects can slow aging-related brain changes in people living with HIV.
-
Megaplasmids and gut microbes in babies and adults
Scientists are studying unusually large plasmids found in the gut bacteria of babies and adults to understand how these big DNA pieces might affect health and antibiotic resistance.
-
Metabolite-based approach to strengthen the premature gut
A doctor-scientist team will test a metabolite and a synthetic version to help the immature intestines of very premature babies develop better defenses against NEC.
-
Center to speed up proven health improvements for people with serious mental illness
A Johns Hopkins-led center aims to bring already-proven heart-health interventions to adults with serious mental illness to cut their early deaths from heart disease.
-
Antenatal steroids to boost lung health in premature babies in Bangladesh
This project tests whether giving steroids before birth helps the lungs grow better in babies born very early in Bangladesh.
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.