Mentoring translational researchers in perinatal infectious diseases

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT There has been increasing interest in translational research in perinatal infectious diseases among applicants to medical schools, residency programs, and collaborating subspecialty fellowships (e.g. maternal-fetal medicine, infectious disease, neonatology) recent years. However, the career development pathways for translating this interest into successful academic careers remain poorly defined, with relatively few successful mentors available in academia. The candidate for this K24 Award is an Associate Professor of Maternal-Fetal Medicine who has established a funded research program to investigate the maternal-fetal immune responses against infection in pregnancy, including SARS-CoV-2 and malaria. This research program is based upon strong collaborative relationships with pediatric and adult infectious disease researchers, basic and translational immunologists, and placental biologists. The PI and her collaborators have forged an effective multidisciplinary team and have built substantial research infrastructure to develop longitudinal cohorts of mother/infant dyads from pregnancy, into childhood, and even into the subsequent pregnancy. The recent epidemics of novel Zika virus and SARS-CoV-2 have demonstrated a clear need to understand the complexities of maternal-fetal immune interactions, and the potential for maternal exposures to bridge neonatal and infant immunity. Our current understanding of human maternal-fetal immunity is very limited, and translational studies are comprised largely of descriptive studies of maternal-fetal antibody transfer. The role of the placenta in mediating immune cross-talk between mother and fetus, as well as the impact of in utero exposures on infant immune development need further study. The proposed study will use samples prospectively collected from well-characterized pregnancy cohorts to identify placental mediators of maternal- fetal immune interactions in response to SARS-CoV-2. In addition, this award support exploration into a new area of investigation - the interactions between environmental exposures and susceptibility to infection-which will spawn new projects for mentees. The primary goal of this K24 will be to develop a cohort of young investigators with the skills required to conduct high quality translational research in the field of perinatal infectious diseases. Secondary goals are to encourage their passion for patient-oriented reproductive infectious diseases research and to help them to become successful independent investigators. Trainees will include physician scientists at all levels - maternal-fetal medicine, infectious disease, and neonatology fellows, post-doctoral scholars, residents, and students.