Immune signs that help prevent mother-to-baby CMV transmission
Identifying and modeling immune correlates of protection against congenital CMV transmission after primary maternal infection
Researchers will look at immune responses in pregnant people who caught CMV to find which ones keep the virus from passing to their babies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11285167 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I were a pregnant person with a recent CMV infection, this work would compare immune tests from mothers who transmitted CMV to their babies and those who did not. The team will use blood samples and laboratory assays to measure different antibodies and cellular immune responses, including how well antibodies bind and trigger immune cells. They will use data from a large group of 399 pregnant women from a prior multicenter trial and build computer models to see which immune features best predict protection. The goal is to turn those findings into targets for vaccines or treatments to stop placental CMV transmission.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are pregnant people who recently had a first-time (primary) CMV infection or who are early in pregnancy with suspected acute CMV infection.
Not a fit: People without a recent primary CMV infection, non-pregnant individuals, or infants already born with congenital CMV are unlikely to directly benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could identify immune markers that guide vaccine design or therapies to prevent babies from getting congenital CMV.
How similar studies have performed: Previous trials of CMV hyperimmune globulin and other approaches have had mixed results and no licensed CMV vaccine exists, so this work builds on incomplete but suggestive evidence about protective antibodies.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Permar, Sallie R. — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Permar, Sallie R.
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.