# Instrumenting the Fetal Membrane on a Chip

> **NIH NIH R01** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $662,884

## Abstract

The first time the immune system can respond to a pathogen is in utero during infections
of the fetal membrane. Infection involving the fetal membranes is extremely difficult to
study in utero, both because of inaccessibility and the nature of the complicated
interface between mother and child. Thus, studies of pregnancy-related conditions
benefit from an in vitro model of the fetal membrane, i.e., a highly instrumented fetal
membrane on a chip (IFMOC). Specifically, the overarching goal of this research project
is to apply multidimensional analytical technologies and microfluidics engineering design
to define immune response biosignatures of infection in the in vitro fetal membrane.
Given these signatures, our ultimate long-range goal for this bench-to-bedside research
program is to develop a simple, inexpensive, and robust lab-on-a-chip system that will
permit accurate etiologic diagnosis of infections early during the course of illness based
on systemic host-response signatures of infection. We will also utilize sensitive and
specific methodologies to differentiate acute infections from pre-existing chronic
infections and/or asymptomatic microbial colonization. This work will be based on a
fundamental understanding of the human systems biology of infectious diseases and will
benefit from recent advances in organ-on-chip microfluidics, optical, amperometric, and
enzymatic sensors, and mass spectrometry. Our initial multianalyte sensor profiles are
focused on cellular bioenergetics using glucose consumption and lactate production and
oxidative burst by superoxide production measured by our microfabricated amperometric
sensors as well as MIC-1 protein secretion by the quartz crystal microbalance;
subsequently these signatures will be expanded with ion mobility-mass spectrometry
(IM-MS).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10037372
- **Project number:** 1R01HD102752-01
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID E CLIFFEL
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $662,884
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10037372

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10037372, Instrumenting the Fetal Membrane on a Chip (1R01HD102752-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10037372. Licensed CC0.

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