Onze beursstudenten

Dokter Loic De DONCKER

Project

Regulation of infant antibody response by maternal antibodies

Project supervisor

Labo of hospitaal waar het project plaatsvindt

European Plotkin Institute for Vaccinology, ULB

Objectives of research

The overall aim of this ongoing project is to dissect the impact of maternal antibodies on the immune response to pertussis immunization in infants. Two specific aims will be pursued:
Aim 1. Assess the impact of maternal immunization on the magnitude and quality of infant response to pertussis vaccination.
Aim 2. Assess the impact of baseline immune set points and their interactions with maternal antibodies on the magnitude and quality of infant response to pertussis vaccination.

Beyond the public health importance of pertussis immunization, the project has the potential to identify general rules governing vaccine responses in infancy. This knowledge would potentially impact the development of improved maternal and infant immunization strategies preventing a large range of infectious diseases affecting young children worldwide

Summary

Vaccination during pregnancy is recommended to protect the infant against certain infectious diseases affecting infants during the first months of life. This vaccination increases the quantity of antibodies transmitted by the mother via the placenta before the baby can be vaccinated himself. Over the last decade, we have witnessed a resurgence of whooping cough in Belgium as in many other countries around the world. This resurgence has particularly affected infants. This has led to implementing vaccination against whooping cough to pregnant women in Belgium for several years. Studies show that this strategy is effective and has led to a reduction in cases of severe infections in young children. However, high levels of maternal antibodies have been found to decrease young children's immune response to pertussis vaccination. This observation raises fears of an increase in cases of whooping cough in older children. Although this increase has not yet been observed, it is important to understand how maternal antibodies modify the infant's vaccine response. The project we are proposing aims to characterize maternal antibodies in detail in order to determine whether certain of their characteristics are associated with a more marked modification of the vaccine response in the child. On the other hand, we will analyze the interactions between maternal antibodies and the infant's immune cells to identify predictors and potential determinants of infant vaccine responses . This project will generate new knowledge that will guide maternal and infant vaccination strategies against whooping cough and the many other pathogens still affecting young children around the world.