Immune responses in babies with congenital versus early postnatal CMV
Adaptive Immune Responses to Congenital and Postnatal Cytomegalovirus Infection
This work compares immune responses in newborns with congenital CMV and infants who get CMV through breastfeeding to understand why congenital infection can cause hearing loss and developmental problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbus, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11327398 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your baby has congenital CMV or catches CMV through breast milk, this project will look at how their immune T cells respond to the virus. Researchers will enroll babies with congenital CMV and infants with early postnatal CMV, take blood samples, and track hearing and development over time. They will compare CD4+ and CD8+ T cell types and search for immune pathways that might limit viral control in congenital infection. Understanding these differences could point to ways to prevent or treat the hearing and neurodevelopmental problems sometimes seen with congenital CMV.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are newborns diagnosed with congenital CMV and infants who acquire CMV through breastfeeding, with parental or guardian consent for follow-up and sample collection.
Not a fit: Babies without CMV infection or adults with past, resolved CMV infection are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: May reveal immune targets that lead to new treatments or prevention strategies to reduce hearing loss and developmental delays from congenital CMV.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have found distinct T cell patterns in CMV-infected infants and links to outcomes like hearing loss, but a large direct comparison of congenital versus postnatal infection is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Columbus, United States
- Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp — Columbus, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shimamura, Masako — Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp
- Study coordinator: Shimamura, Masako
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.