Active Research Funding
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Contact PI: Kristina De Paris PhD, UNC Chapel Hill
Leveraging the infant immune system for the induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies
The goal is to identify early determinants that are critical for the induction of HIV bNAbs by vaccination.
Role: MPI
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Early life vaccination to prevent HIV acquisition during adolescence
MPI: Kristina De Paris PhD, UNC Chapel Hill
The overall goal of this HIVRAD renewal is to harness the unique qualities of the early life immune system for vaccine elicitation of protective HIV immunity.
Role: Contact PI, Project Lead
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Immunologic and virologic determinants of congenital Cytomegalovirus transmission and disease in rhesus monkeys
The overarching goal of this Program is to end the stalemate in congenital CMV vaccine research by defining the key immune responses and viral-host interactions that dictate primary fetal CMV transmission and disease.
Role: PI, Core 1 and Project 1 Lead
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PI: Worgall, Stefan
Impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on respiratory viral immune responses in children with and without asthma
This application will study how highly SARS-CoV-2 exposed NYC children of all ages and with asthma react to common cold viruses to understand the implications of natural infection on subsequent respiratory virus infections, as well as reinfections with SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Role: MPI
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MPI: Matthew Kelly MD MPH, Duke University
Contact PI: Genevieve Fouda Md PhD
Early life B cell responses and inflammation following SARS-CoV-2 infection
We propose to 1) characterize age-specific immune responses elicited by SARS-CoV-2; 2) define mechanisms driving protective immune responses; and 3) assess the relationship between virus-specific immune responses and symptomatic disease. We will use longitudinal samples from two unique previously enrolled household cohorts of SARS-CoV-2-infected children and adults.
Role: MPI
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Escape of maternal plasma broadly neutralizing antibody as a mechanism of mother to child HIV transmission
The goal is to define whether the breadth and potency of bnAb activity in maternal plasma is a risk factor for vertical virus transmission; which bnAb specificities are more likely to predict protection against MTCT, and evaluate strategies to induce protective neutralizing responses via maternal vaccination, while avoiding interventions that will drive escape variants that may have the propensity for vertical transmission.
Role: PI
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MPIs:
Role of maternal-fetal interface NK cells in pregnancy maintenance and congenital CMV transmission
The goal is to define the role of NK Cells receptor in a rhesus model and human delivery samples from distinct developmental stages in early and late pregnancy, the impact of maternal systemic NK cell depletion on fetal immune tolerance and maintenance of pregnancy in rhesus monkeys and determine the role of NK cell depletion in reactivation and congenital transmission of RhCMV.
Role: MPI
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Identifying and modeling immune correlates of protection against congenital CMV transmission after primary maternal infection
Role: PI
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Improving HCMV vaccine-elicited immunity by targeting viral Fc receptors
Improving HCMV vaccine-elicited immunity by targeting viral Fc receptors
Role: PI
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Contact PI/Project Lead: Kyu Rhee, MD, PhD
Tri-I Stimulating Access to Research in Residency program (Tri-I StARR - NIAID)
Role: MPI
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Pediatric Physician Scientist Program Award (PSDP)
The major goal is to enlarge the cadre of NIH-funded pediatricians by supporting career development for pediatric fellows training in basic, translational, or clinical investigation with outstanding senior mentors in the US and Canada.
Role: PI
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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
MPI: Maria Blasi PhD, Duke University
Recombinant vectored delivery of maternal antibody for transfer into breast milk and across the placenta
The overall goal of this concept proposal is to enhance protective maternal antibody delivery to the infant via recombinant vectored antibody expression technology using integrase-deficient lentiviral vectors (IDLV).
Role: MPI
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PI: Deborah Persaud, M.D., John’s Hopkins Medicine
Pediatric Adolescent Virus Eradiation (PAVE) Martin Delaney Collaboratory
We will analyze rhesus macaque samples by Single Genome amplification (SGA), sequencing, screening and production of pseudovirus, and preparation of phylogenetic trees on selected samples and share data collected with all project leaders.
Role: Consortium PI
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University of Texas at Austin via Dynavax Technologies Corporation
Immunogenicity Testing of Prefusion gBs
The goal is to define the immunogenicity of pre-fusion gB protein vaccine candidates in mouse model
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The origin, predictors, and immune correlates of viral rebound in orally SHIV infected infant monkeys
Role: Contact PI, Project Lead
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Innate antiviral factors in breast milk and the oral HIV-1 reservoir
The goal is to understand the impact of these innate anti-HIV-1 breast milk factors on the establishment of the oral HIV-1 reservoir and systemic spread is key to defining the natural protection against oral HIV-1 acquisition via breastfeeding that could be harnessed for novel infant HIV-1 prevention strategies.
Role: PI
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Role of neutralizing antibodies in HIV-1-infected and vaccinated mothers in MTCT
The goal is to seek to define the mechanisms of maternal antibody-mediated immune protection, work that is needed for rational design and evaluation of effective maternal/infant HIV-1 vaccines.
Role: PI
Co-PI (Gao)
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The relationship between maternal ZIKV-specific and ADE antibodies and fetal outcome
The goal is to understand the relationship between maternal antibody responses, in utero virus transmission, and fetal outcome in order to define the immunologic roadmap for a maternal ZIKV vaccine.
Role: PI
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PI: Walsh
Immune correlates and mechanisms of perinatal cytomegalovirus infection and later life ALL development
The goal is to assess the connection between congenital CMV infection and an identified increased risk of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia by defining the epigenetic and immunologic changes associated in the cord blood of a cohort of cCMV infected infants compared to uninfected children.
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Humoral immune correlates of protection against congenital CMV and HSV transmission in HIV-infected women
The goal is to define the placental transmission rate of and characteristics of CMV and HSV-specific IgG in HIV-infected pregnant women and their infants.
Role: PI
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Pediatric Physician Scientist Program Award (PSDP)
The major goal is to enlarge the cadre of NIH-funded pediatricians by supporting career development for pediatric fellows training in basic, translational, or clinical investigation with outstanding senior mentors in the US and Canada. Role: PI
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Duke Resident Physician-Scientist Program- NHLBI
Training grant for investigators in Pediatrics.
Role: Training Director
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Duke Resident Physician-Scientist Program- NIAID
Training grant for investigators in Pediatrics.
Role: Training Director
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PI: Aldrovandi
University of California - Los Angeles
To provide support to the IMPAACT network through assessment of HIV-specific cellular and humoral responses in maternal/pediatric HIV-infected subjects or vaccinees.
Specifically, our lab can provide flow cytometric assessment of HIV-specific T cell responses, HIV-specific antibody binding and neutralizing responses, antigen-specific B cell isolation/characterization, immunoglobulin repertoire analysis and identification of novel anti-HIV mAbs, and assessment of HIV-specific functional IgA and IgG responses in breast milk and other mucosal compartments.
Role: Consortium PI
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CMV mRNA vaccination clinical sample screening
Major Goals: We propose to explore the quality of antibody response following vaccination with mRNA-1647 in deidentified clinical samples.
Role: PI