Syphilis during pregnancy: improving tests and tracking mother and baby immune responses
Official title: Syphilis in Pregnancy Study (SIPS): Molecular Diagnostics and Maternal and Infant Immune Response to Infection
Funded at University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11105870 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will use molecular tests and close follow-up of pregnant women and their newborns to learn how syphilis affects mothers and babies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project start | June 23, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $450,668 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI176982-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11105870 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant women with confirmed syphilis (and control pregnant women without syphilis) at participating sites in Cameroon and Zambia, plus their newborns, are the ideal candidates for enrollment.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not pregnant, pregnant people outside the study locations, or those unable to attend follow-up visits through 12 months postpartum are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participating.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will enroll pregnant women with and without syphilis at sites in Cameroon and Zambia and collect blood and other samples during pregnancy and up to 12 months after delivery. The team will use molecular diagnostic methods and immune tests to detect infection, track who passes infection to their baby, and measure immune responses in mothers and infants. Staff will also record birth outcomes like stillbirth, preterm birth, and congenital infection to link test results with health outcomes. The goal is to improve diagnosis and identify infants at risk so care can be targeted earlier.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to earlier and more accurate diagnosis of maternal and congenital syphilis and better strategies to prevent stillbirth and infant illness.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies show that testing and timely treatment can prevent congenital syphilis, but applying molecular diagnostics and detailed mother-infant immune profiling in large cohorts in these settings is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dionne, Jodie Ann — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Dionne, Jodie Ann
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Syphilis in Pregnancy: Understanding Infection in Moms and Babies
A study following pregnant women with syphilis and their babies to learn how the infection affects pregnancy and newborn health.
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Syphilis in Pregnancy: Molecular Tests and Immune Responses in Mom and Baby
A study to understand how syphilis affects pregnancy and newborns by using molecular tests and tracking immune responses in 750 pregnant women with syphilis and their babies.
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Preventing syphilis in pregnant people in Rio de Janeiro
A clinical trial in Brazil tests a pregnancy-safe antibiotic plan to stop syphilis from affecting babies.
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Preventing congenital syphilis in pregnant people at risk in Rio de Janeiro
A clinical trial will test a treatment approach during pregnancy to reduce syphilis transmission from mother to baby for pregnant people at risk in Rio de Janeiro.
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Syphilis in Pregnancy: Molecular Tests and Immune Responses in Moms and Babies
This study follows pregnant women with syphilis and their babies to understand how the infection affects both, using advanced tests to learn more about the immune response and how the infection passes to the baby.
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Improving testing and immune care for syphilis in pregnancy
Researchers will use advanced lab tests and follow pregnant women with syphilis and their babies to learn how the infection and immune responses affect birth outcomes.
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.