# Utility of human milk oligosaccharides against the perinatal pathogen, Group B Streptococcus

> **NIH NIH R01** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $384,921

## Abstract

Project Summary
Adverse pregnancy outcomes are a global issue that affects more than 50 million people per year. Infections
during gestation contribute significantly to adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth and neonatal
sepsis. Streptococcus agalactiae or Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a major cause of ascending vaginal and
intrauterine infection during pregnancy. To initiate infection, GBS must colonize the vagina and initiate a robust
biofilm to turn the vaginal mucosa into a replicative niche. Subsequently, GBS ascends the reproductive tract in
an undefined process to invade the gestational membranes, cross the placenta, and infect the amniotic cavity
and the fetus. Currently, there is no commercially available vaccine against GBS to prevent its cognate disease
outcomes. However, epidemiological data has indicated that exposure to maternal breast milk is associated with
protection against GBS infection of the neonate. We have new and exciting data to suggest that components of
human breast milk, such as human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), have antibiofilm activity against GBS. Given
this, we hypothesize that treatment with HMOs could lead to decreased GBS biofilm formation, colonization,
invasive infection cognate inflammation, microbiome disruption, and disease progression. We will test this by
determining the contribution of HMOs on bacterial and immunological responses in primary human placental
macrophages, an organ-on-a-chip infection model, ex vivo gestational membrane model, vaginal tissue models
and a mouse model of infection during pregnancy. This work will help us establish the efficacy of deployment of
prebiotic HMOs as a cost-effective dietary or chemotherapeutic strategy against GBS which may improve
pregnancy outcomes in vulnerable groups.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10979850
- **Project number:** 1R01HD113675-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennifer A Gaddy
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $384,921
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-20 → 2029-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10979850

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10979850, Utility of human milk oligosaccharides against the perinatal pathogen, Group B Streptococcus (1R01HD113675-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10979850. Licensed CC0.

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