# Normalizing Pathogen Exposure and Pregnancy

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $229,500

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The establishment of pregnancy and placentation require a dynamic interplay of immune cell signaling at the
maternal-fetal interface. Deficits in immune cell function compromise pregnancy. The specific pathogen-free
(SPF) laboratory mouse has been the animal model of choice for investigating immune cell dynamics and
functions during the establishment of pregnancy. However, there are two significant issues with the SPF
laboratory mouse and its use to model the hemochorial maternal-fetal interface: i) placentation is shallow; ii)
the SPF conditions used to maintain laboratory animals, including the mouse and rat, hinder immune system
maturation and are inadequate for accurately modeling the complexities of human pathophysiology.
Consequently, we have adapted a strategy of normalizing the SPF laboratory rat immune system through
exposure to rats maintained in an environment of robust pathogen exposure (“dirty rats”). We utilize this
strategy with the goal of humanizing laboratory animal immune responses. We hypothesize that uterine
immune cell composition, pregnancy-dependent trafficking, and function are affected by the maturation state of
the immune system, which collectively impact pregnancy success. In this research project, we will utilize the rat
as an animal model for hemochorial placentation and test the hypothesis that the maturation state of its immune
system will impact uterine immune cell dynamics and function during the establishment of pregnancy. Two aims
are proposed: i) explore the effects of immune system maturation on uterine immune cell composition,
trafficking and function during rat pregnancy; ii) investigate the effects of immune system maturation on
responses to stressors during the establishment of pregnancy. Experimental dissection of immune mechanisms
controlling placentation will provide new insights into the etiology of pregnancy-associated diseases and the
identification of new efficacious diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9849742
- **Project number:** 5R21AI144698-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL J SOARES
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $229,500
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-01-11 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9849742

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9849742, Normalizing Pathogen Exposure and Pregnancy (5R21AI144698-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9849742. Licensed CC0.

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