U19AI145825

Maternal Immunization and Determinants of Infant Immunity - Overall Abstract

Maternal Immunization and Determinants of Infant Immunity (MADI) aims to address the issue of infectious diseases, which continue to be the leading cause of death in children under 5 years old worldwide. Newborns and infants within the first year of life are particularly affected. The immune fitness of the mother plays a crucial role in the sustained health of a child. Vaccination during pregnancy has the potential to enhance maternal immunity and improve neonatal immunity to pathogens. However, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of how the unique immunological setting of pregnancy influences responses to vaccination, the rules of maternal antibody (AB) transfer, and the interactions between transferred maternal AB and the infant immune system.

To bridge this knowledge gap, MADI has proposed synergistic and multidisciplinary studies organized into three aims:

1. Distinguish unique features and predictors of vaccine-induced immunity during pregnancy.
2. Define the principles governing maternal antibody transfer.
3. Identify determinants of infant immunity and responses to vaccines.

MADI consists of four integrated and synergistic projects (P) and three cores (C):

P1 will determine the influence of pregnancy on AB biophysical and functional features, as well as B/T cell responses to vaccines.
P2 will identify AB-intrinsic factors underlying transfer via placenta and breast milk.
P3 will identify features of transferred maternal AB that mediate immunity to pathogens and regulate vaccine responses in infants.
P4 will identify cellular and molecular predictors of responses to vaccination in the mother-infant dyad.

C1 will provide cutting-edge systems serology and AB engineering technologies, training, and quality control.
C2 will provide centralized management and analysis of data from all projects and will manage data dissemination.
The Admin Core will provide management and programmatic support.

The MADI team combines complementary expertise, access to unique and well-characterized clinical cohorts, and state-of-the-art methods to dissect complex maternal-infant immune interactions. MADI has public health significance and translational value in:

1) Investigating the immunobiology of maternal immunization at a new breadth and depth.
2) Identifying novel actionable targets to improve the effectiveness of maternal immunization.
3) Informing vaccine design and implementation.
4) Stimulating the field of maternal-infant immunology and vaccinology by generating new analytical tools, mechanistic insights, and rich hypothesis-generating systems immunology datasets.

Such knowledge has the potential to transform the field of maternal immunization.

University Of Maryland, Baltimore

TO ASSIST PUBLIC AND PRIVATE NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO ESTABLISH, EXPAND AND IMPROVE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND RELATED AREAS, TO CONDUCT DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH, TO PRODUCE AND TEST RESEARCH MATERIALS. TO ASSIST PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO CONDUCT DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH, TO PRODUCE AND TEST RESEARCH MATERIALS, TO PROVIDE RESEARCH SERVICES AS REQUIRED BY THE AGENCY FOR PROGRAMS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES, AND CONTROLLING DISEASE CAUSED BY INFECTIOUS OR PARASITIC AGENTS, ALLERGIC AND IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASES AND RELATED AREAS. PROJECTS RANGE FROM STUDIES OF MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND ANTIGENIC STRUCTURE TO COLLABORATIVE TRIALS OF EXPERIMENTAL DRUGS AND VACCINES, MECHANISMS OF RESISTANCE TO ANTIBIOTICS AS WELL AS RESEARCH DEALING WITH EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS OR COMMUNITY POPULATIONS AND PROGRESS IN ALLERGIC AND IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASES. BECAUSE OF THIS DUAL FOCUS, THE PROGRAM ENCOMPASSES BOTH BASIC RESEARCH AND CLINICAL RESEARCH. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM EXPANDS AND IMPROVES PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH. THE SBIR PROGRAM INTENDS TO INCREASE AND FACILITATE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. THE SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM STIMULATES AND FOSTERS SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. RESEARCH CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTISTS DURING THE FORMATIVE STAGES OF THEIR CAREERS. INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS (NRSAS) ARE MADE DIRECTLY TO APPROVE APPLICANTS FOR RESEARCH TRAINING IN SPECIFIED BIOMEDICAL SHORTAGE AREAS. IN ADDITION, INSTITUTIONAL NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS ARE MADE TO ENABLE INSTITUTIONS TO SELECT AND MAKE AWARDS TO INDIVIDUALS TO RECEIVE TRAINING UNDER THE AEGIS OF THEIR INSTITUTIONAL PROGRAM.

93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) [HHS - NIH]

Baltimore, Maryland 21201 United States

Single Zip Code

Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional) (PA-20-272)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 403% from $3,188,570 to $16,036,849.