Thursday, July 3, 2025 7/3/2025

MECHANISMS LEADING TO ADVERSE BIRTH OUTCOMES IN SOUTH AFRICAN HIV-INFECTED WOMEN

Award Number: R01HD102050
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/03/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2025

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

MECHANISMS LEADING TO ADVERSE BIRTH OUTCOMES IN SOUTH AFRICAN HIV-INFECTED WOMEN - Pre-term birth (PTB) is a major cause of neonatal mortality worldwide, associated with high morbidity due to infectious and other complications. Identifying risk factors for adverse birth outcomes, as well as the likely causes, will facilitate prevention measures to mitigate these outcomes. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the highest burden of these adverse pregnancy outcomes, and also bears the brunt of the global HIV epidemic, with over 33 million people living with HIV. Untreated maternal HIV infection has been shown to be associated with spontaneous PTB in some but not all studies. Antiretroviral (ARV) drug treatment during pregnancy dramatically reduces perinatal HIV transmission but has also been linked to adverse birth outcomes. Here, we will utilize our completed and ongoing cohorts of pregnant women in Cape Town, South Africa, and build on our previous phase 1 NIH-SAMRC funding (R21 HD083344), to study the impact of HIV/ARV exposure on female genital tract microbiology and metabolome and the relationship with placental immune pathways that impact infant health: prematurity and post-partum vaccine immunogenicity. The specific aims are 1) To identify vaginal microbial and metabolic markers for adverse birth outcomes in HIV-infected women. Here, we hypothesis that PTB is associated with specific vaginal microbial communities leading to alterations in metabolic pathways that can result in cell stress and subsequent placental inflammation. We will use 16S rRNA sequencing and unbiased mass spectrometry to measure vaginal microflora and metabolites during gestation. 2) To interrogate immune cell subsets and gene expression pathways in placental decidual and villous tissue which lead to PTB in HIV-infected pregnancies. We hypothesize that placental T cells are skewed away from regulatory towards inflammatory and activated states through HIV/ARV exposure, leading to increased risk of preterm labor. We will use a combination of multiparameter flow cytometry, imaging and RNAseq to characterize T cell populations, their tissue location and function. Placentas from HIV-uninfected women will be used as controls. 3) To identify decidual immune cells and gene expression pathways that influence infant cellular immunity. We hypothesize that inflammatory conditions at the fetal-maternal interface contribute to the development of compromised vaccine-specific immunity post-partum. We will measure infant BCG T cell responses in the first two months of life and relate this to placental cell phenotype, function and gene expression in mother-infant pairs. Identifying risk factors for adverse birth outcomes, as well as the likely causes, will facilitate prevention measures to mitigate these outcomes. ! !


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $325,093 )
2024	2024	STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY	ADMINISTRATION BUILDING B, VICTORIA ST	STELLENBOSCH				ZAF	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	5	5/7/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$29,257
2024	2024	STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY	ADMINISTRATION BUILDING B, VICTORIA ST	STELLENBOSCH				ZAF	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	002	5	6/5/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$3,252
2024	2024	STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY	ADMINISTRATION BUILDING B, VICTORIA ST	STELLENBOSCH				ZAF	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	5	3/27/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$292,584
														Subtotal = $325,093

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $315,744 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITEIT STELLENBOSCH	ADMINISTRATION BUILDING B, VICTORIA STREET	STELLENBOSCH				ZAF	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	4	3/17/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$315,744
														Subtotal = $315,744

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $334,425 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITEIT STELLENBOSCH	ADMINISTRATION BUILDING B, VICTORIA STREET	STELLENBOSCH				ZAF	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	3	5/19/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$334,425
2022	2021	UNIVERSITEIT STELLENBOSCH	ADMINISTRATION BUILDING B, VICTORIA STREET	STELLENBOSCH				ZAF	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	002	2	8/16/2022	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$299,215
2022	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN	LOVERS WALK	RONDEBOSCH				ZAF	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	1	8/16/2022	NEW	-$299,215
														Subtotal = $334,425

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $341,201 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITEIT STELLENBOSCH	ADMINISTRATION BUILDING B, VICTORIA STREET	STELLENBOSCH				ZAF	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	002	2	6/30/2021	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$0
2021	2021	UNIVERSITEIT STELLENBOSCH	ADMINISTRATION BUILDING B, VICTORIA STREET	STELLENBOSCH				ZAF	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	2	4/8/2021	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$341,201
2021	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN	LOVERS WALK	RONDEBOSCH				ZAF	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	4/8/2021	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $341,201

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $349,990 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN	LOVERS WALK	RONDEBOSCH		007700		ZAF	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	4/3/2020	NEW	$349,990
														Subtotal = $349,990

Grand Total All Awards = $1,666,453

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

MECHANISMS LEADING TO ADVERSE BIRTH OUTCOMES IN SOUTH AFRICAN HIV-INFECTED WOMEN

Award Number: R01HD102050

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/03/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2025

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer