Award
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 5R01HD106247-05
Placental resistance and response to the teratogenic pathogen Toxoplasma gondii
Recipient
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Award Amount
$560,907.00
Ceiling
$560,907.00
Awarded
March 04, 2026
Identifier
5R01HD106247-05
Research project funded by NICHD to study how the placenta resists and responds to Toxoplasma gondii infection during pregnancy, aiming to improve prediction of infection outcomes and understand host-pathogen interactions at the maternal-fetal interface.
Description
This project aims to understand the mechanisms of placental resistance and susceptibility to Toxoplasma gondii, focusing on placental trophoblasts, immune signaling, and host-pathogen interactions. It seeks to identify mechanisms of placental trophoblast resistance, study innate immune signaling at the maternal-fetal interface, quantify immunomodulatory cytokines during pregnancy, link immune profiles to infection outcomes, and use primary tissues and cell models to decode resistance mechanisms.