Syphilis in pregnancy: improved tests and mother–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-11376430 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at better laboratory tests and how mothers' and newborns' immune systems respond to syphilis in pregnant people in Cameroon and Zambia.
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) | $60,596 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AI176982-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11376430 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are pregnant people in the study regions (Cameroon or Zambia) with confirmed syphilis or pregnant controls willing to provide samples and attend follow-up through 12 months postpartum.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not pregnant, who live outside the study locations, or who are unwilling to provide repeated samples and attend follow-up visits are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be enrolled with other pregnant people who have confirmed syphilis or who do not have syphilis and followed through the first year after delivery. The team will collect blood and other samples from mothers and infants at multiple times to run molecular tests and measure immune responses. Researchers will compare 750 women with syphilis and their exposed infants to 750 pregnant controls to learn how infection moves from mother to baby and when current tests miss cases. The work is observational, so care follows local clinical guidelines while samples and data are used to improve diagnostics and understanding of outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to earlier and more accurate testing for syphilis in pregnancy and newborns, which could reduce stillbirths and newborn illness.
How similar studies have gone: Smaller observational and laboratory studies have identified problems with current tests and shown promise for molecular approaches, but this large, paired mother–infant cohort is a newer and more comprehensive effort.
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.