NIH funds University of Minnesota research on congenital cytomegalovirus infection

A University of Minnesota Medical School research team has received a new 5-year, $3.87 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate how the immune system protects against congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. The research, led by Mark Schleiss, MD, a professor in the University of Minnesota Medical School and pediatrician with M Health Fairview, aims to develop strategies to improve pregnancy outcomes and prevent lifelong disabilities in children. 

CMV is the most common infectious cause of neurodevelopmental disabilities in children in the United States and is believed to be one of the leading causes globally. When a CMV infection occurs during pregnancy, the virus can cross the placenta and infect the developing fetus, potentially resulting in hearing loss and other neurological and developmental complications that can persist throughout childhood.

Despite being the most common infection causing neurodevelopmental disability in childhood, awareness of congenital CMV remains low. We need treatments to help mothers and newborns. Understanding the immunological mechanisms that control and prevent CMV infection in pregnancy can be translated into new therapies and prevention strategies. Using a laboratory model I developed 35 years ago, I will continue my quest to understand how this virus transmits to the developing fetus and how to improve pregnancy outcomes by preventing CMV infection and transplacental transmission in the pregnant patient and in the newborn infant."

Mark Schleiss, MD, Professor, University of Minnesota Medical School 

Through this newly funded research, Dr. Schleiss and his team will investigate how CMV interacts with the immune system and identify the factors that influence transmission from mother to fetus. Using a preclinical strain of the cytomegalovirus that closely mirrors human disease, the researchers will study the molecular virology and immune response to CMV proteins to better understand how infection spreads in pregnancy, as well as the types of interventions, including vaccines, that can offer protection. 

The team will also design studies with the goal of assessing how the knowledge gained might be translated into preventive and therapeutic strategies for pregnant patients and newborns.

"By learning more about how the immune response protects against congenital CMV infection, we hope to develop approaches that improve pregnancy outcomes and help ensure that every child has the opportunity to achieve their full potential," said Dr. Schleiss.