Placental responses to maternal viral infection shape sex-specific offspring immunity
Official title: Placental Responses to Maternal Viral Infection Drive Sex-Dimorphic Offspring Immune Reprogramming
Funded at Wayne State University · NIH-11453155 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A mother’s viral infection during pregnancy can change how her baby’s immune system develops, potentially making some babies more prone to infections after birth.
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 start | July 13, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $514,261 |
| NIH project number | 1R01AI201310-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11453155 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are pregnant individuals at risk of viral infection and their offspring, with a focus on newborns and infants up to early childhood.
✕Less likely to help
Families not affected by maternal viral infection or whose child health is unrelated to placental immune reprogramming may see little direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at how a viral infection during pregnancy reprograms the baby’s immune system through the placenta and fetal blood-forming cells. Researchers will study placental signaling, hematopoietic stem cell changes, and neutrophil function to understand why male and female offspring may be affected differently. The study uses experiments with human-relevant models and animal data to map the chain from maternal infection to altered child immunity and higher infection risk after birth. The goal is to identify targets for prevention or therapy to protect newborns from infections.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to strategies that prevent weakened immunity in newborns following maternal viral infections.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests maternal infections can alter offspring immunity, but this project aims to reveal sex-specific mechanisms and long-term effects.
Where this research is happening
-
Wayne State University
Detroit, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ding, Jiahui — Wayne State University
- Study coordinator: Ding, Jiahui
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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.