Postpartum immunity and viral disease outcomes

The dynamic immune landscape of mammalian pregnancy is essential for healthy reproduction. Yet, maternal immunity after birth remains largely undefined. There is a major gap in knowledge in of baseline postpartum immune dynamics and their impacts on disease outcomes during this phase of reproduction. We are poised to address this gap in knowledge given we have recently discovered that that postpartum mothers are more resistant to pathogenic disease outcomes of a lethal viral infection. Based on literature and our extensive preliminary data, we hypothesize that immune changes are enacted after birth to promote enhanced resilience to viral infection in the postpartum period that is dependent upon lactation-associated physiology. This proposal describes targeted objectives to define immune mechanisms that underlie enhanced maternal resilience to severe viral disease during the postpartum period. In Aim 1 we will focus our investigations on uncovering the breadth, kinetics, and immune determinants of protection in postpartum during maternal resilience. In Aim 2 we will focus our studies on the role of maternal caregiving in triggering maternal resilience, decoupling maternal caregiving behavior from lactation-associated physiology. Altogether, outcomes from this proposal will embody new fundamental insights into immune dynamics during postpartum period. Specifically, this proposal will define mechanisms underlying enhanced maternal response to viral challenge after birth. Our findings will advance our knowledge of maternal physiology after birth and underscore mechanisms of biological resiliency during reproduction and provide foundational knowledge that could ultimately be leveraged to improve women’s healthcare. Project Number: 1R01HD120540-01 | Fiscal Year: 2026 | NIH Institute/Center: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) | Principal Investigator: Kellie Jurado | Institution: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA, PA | Award Amount: $465,870 | Activity Code: R01 | Study Section: Special Emphasis Panel[ZRG1 IIDB-J (02)] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11277556