# Placental determinants of neonatal immune function in maternal HIV infection

> **NIH NIH R21** · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · 2020 · $212,510

## Abstract

ABSTRACT: HIV-exposed but uninfected (HEU) infants are twice as likely to die as HIV-unexposed and
uninfected infants (HUU), mainly from other infectious diseases. There is an urgent need to understand how
maternal HIV infection–whether controlled or not– impacts the development of the neonatal immune system.
With this information, we can develop algorithms to prevent infectious diseases in HEU that account for their
functional immune deficits.
We hypothesize that maternal HIV infection results in inflammation of the placenta, decreased maternal-to-
child transfer of antibodies, and differential programming of the neonatal immune system that impairs the
immune response to vaccines. To test this hypothesis, we will integrate clinical data with immunologic data we
will obtain from maternal, placenta and neonatal samples that were collected as part of an NIH-funded R01
study we have been conducting in India since 2014. We enrolled a unique, well-defined cohort of maternal-
infant pairs with and without HIV and followed them longitudinally through pregnancy and the first year
postpartum. We propose to capitalize on these stored samples to address the following aims:
Aim 1. Compare the Treg/CD8+ T cell ratio in maternal blood, placenta, and cord blood samples by
maternal HIV status and viral load. This aim will establish the relationship between immune cells and
cytokines in maternal blood, placenta and cord blood samples, using flow cytometry, immunecard technology
and immunohistochemical staining. Understanding how maternal and placental immunology relate to neonatal
immune development may help us predict which infants will have impaired immune responses to pathogens.
Aim 2. Determine the effect of placental immune function on infants’ humoral and cellular
immunity. This aim will (1) identify how HIV decreases the transplacental transfer of antibodies to key
respiratory pathogens involved in HEU infant mortality, including S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, and influenza
virus; and (2) determine if placental inflammation impacts the longevity of the infant’s immune response to
BCG vaccine.
Using these data, we can develop screening tests to predict which neonates will have the greatest immune
compromise at birth. Studying the role of the placenta in the development of the neonatal immune system may
also reveal key differences between HEU and HUU infants that will allow us to optimize care for this vulnerable
population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9900843
- **Project number:** 5R21HD099000-02
- **Recipient organization:** WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** IRINA BURD
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $212,510
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9900843

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9900843, Placental determinants of neonatal immune function in maternal HIV infection (5R21HD099000-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9900843. Licensed CC0.

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