Selected Grantee Publications

A Potent Myeloid Response Is Rapidly Activated in the Lungs of Premature Rhesus Macaques Exposed to Intra-Uterine Inflammation

Jackson et al., Mucosal Immunology. 2022.

https://www.doi.org/10.1038/s41385-022-00495-x

Up to 40% of preterm births are associated with histological chorioamnionitis (HCA), which can lead to neonatal mortality, sepsis, respiratory disease, and neurodevelopmental problem. Researchers used rhesus macaques to comprehensively describe HCA-induced fetal mucosal immune responses and delineate the individual roles of IL-1β and TNFα in HCA-induced fetal pathology. Their data indicate that the fetal innate immune system can mount a rapid, multifaceted pulmonary immune response to in utero exposure to inflammation. Taken together, this work provides mechanistic insights into the association between HCA and the postnatal lung morbidities of the premature infant and highlights the therapeutic potential of inflammatory blockade in the fetus. Supported by ORIP (P51OD011107), NIEHS, NIDDK, NHLBI, and NICHD.