# Dynamic changes in virome-host interactions during pregnancy and postpartum

> **NIH NIH U01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $1,144,777

## Abstract

Abstract
 For more than a decade the importance of the microbiome and its role in health and disease has been
appreciated, yet the virome (the viral component of the microbiome) has remained understudied. Physiologic
changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period (often overlooked periods of the lifespan) include
dramatic adaptations in immune response that provide a unique opportunity to study and understand the
dynamic interplay between the virome and host. Both systemic and local modifications in innate and adaptive
immunity have been described, characterizing an “immunological clock” of pregnancy. These programmed
changes in immune response are critical for pregnancy success, providing a balance between fetal tolerance
and effective protection from pathogens, including viruses. Individual viruses that cause adverse pregnancy
outcomes have been frequently studied, for example those that cause more severe infection during pregnancy
and those that cause congenital infections. However, the complex communities of the virome (in this case
defined as all the viruses that infect human cells) have largely remained unexplored. We hypothesize that the
dynamic, programmed changes in immune response through pregnancy and postpartum will alter the
interactions between virome and host, revealing important underlying biology of the virome-maternal-fetal unit.
To test this hypothesis, we will prospectively collect longitudinal samples from the pregnancy, delivery, and
postpartum periods in a racially diverse cohort of 100 subjects enrolled at two sites to monitor the virome in
tandem with local and systemic immune responses.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10986490
- **Project number:** 1U01AT012970-01
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Linda M Ernst
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,144,777
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-17 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10986490

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10986490, Dynamic changes in virome-host interactions during pregnancy and postpartum (1U01AT012970-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10986490. Licensed CC0.

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