Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Disease Branch (MPIDB)

Overview/Mission

MPIDB supports domestic and international research, as well as research training and career development programs related to the epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, transmission, treatment, and prevention of HIV and its complications in infants, children, adolescents, pregnant people, and women. As the HIV epidemic has evolved and other infectious diseases have emerged in the United States and globally, the branch has ensured that its funded research reflects these changes and addresses important opportunities and gaps as they arise, including HIV-associated co-infections such as tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis, and malaria.

To meet the needs and ongoing challenges of other significant infectious diseases, MPIDB coordinates research on the epidemiology, natural history, pathogenesis, transmission, treatment, and prevention of congenital infections, such as Zika virus and cytomegalovirus; emerging infectious diseases, such as COVID-19; and vaccine-preventable disease in infants, children, adolescents, and women.

Congruent with the branch’s mission, MPIDB supports a number of research programs and networks to improve health outcomes among populations of interest. Two major priorities for branch-funded clinical research networks are: HIV (and TB) therapeutics in infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant people; and epidemiologic research in individuals living with HIV or at risk for HIV, including infants, children, adolescents, and young adults who were exposed to HIV in utero.

We are interested in applications that align with the following research priorities. For more information about NICHD’s research themes, cross-cutting topics, and aspirational goals, visit the plan’s Scientific Research Themes and Objectives.

Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases

Strategic Plan Theme 3: Setting the Foundation for Healthy Pregnancies and Lifelong Wellness
Strategic Plan Theme 4: Improving Child and Adolescent Health and the Transition to Adulthood
Strategic Plan Cross-Cutting Topics: Disease Prevention, Global Health, Health Disparities, Infectious Disease

Gap: Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are ongoing threats and often have a disparate impact on pregnant women, infants, children, and adolescents. Critical knowledge gaps remain in the understanding of the pathogenesis of infections as they evolve and emerge in these populations, presenting opportunities to advance public health efforts around prevention and treatment in maternal and child health.

Priority: Research on emerging (e.g., COVID-19) and re-emerging infectious diseases that affect pregnant women, infants, children, and adolescents, including their impact on the pediatric nervous system and on reproductive and overall health, to advance safe and effective treatments.

HIV: Adolescent Prevention

Strategic Plan Theme 4: Improving Child and Adolescent Health and the Transition to Adulthood
Strategic Plan Cross-Cutting Topics: Disease Prevention, Global Health, Health Disparities, Infectious Disease

Gap: Young people are disproportionately affected by HIV globally. While effective biomedical modalities to prevent HIV infection in adults now exist, more research is needed involving adolescents, with consideration of biological, psychological, social, and developmental health transitions.

Priority: Research on ways to increase the use of multilevel interventions to improve health and prevent HIV (e.g., feasible, acceptable, safe, and scalable strategies to increase uptake of and adherence to HIV prevention modalities) and other sexually transmitted infections in adolescents and young adults, including linkage to and engagement in healthcare and improvement in the transition to adult healthcare.

HIV and HIV Co-Infections: Adverse Pregnancy, Maternal, and Infant Outcomes Related to Prevention or Treatment

Gap: With widespread use of lifelong antiretroviral therapy and newer agents for prevention and treatment of HIV and its co-infections, more women are conceiving while on therapy. Concerns persist that use of antiretroviral medications and other therapeutics may increase adverse pregnancy, maternal, and infant outcomes (e.g., preterm birth).

Priority: Research to identify and investigate causes of adverse pregnancy and infant outcomes that may be associated with antiretroviral therapy in pregnancy to improve understanding of how such exposures contribute to maternal morbidity and mortality, stillbirth, preterm birth, and the long-term health of women and their children.

HIV: Cure/Remission in Infants and Children

Strategic Plan Theme 4: Improving Child and Adolescent Health and the Transition to Adulthood
Strategic Plan Theme 5: Advancing Safe and Effective Therapeutics and Devices for Pregnant and Lactating Women, Children, and People with Disabilities
Strategic Plan Cross-Cutting Topics: Disease Prevention, Global Health, Health Disparities, Infectious Disease

Gap: HIV cure strategies may be different for infants and children than adults. To identify potential new treatment approaches for infants and children, there is a critical need for innovative investigations in humans, the study of existing biospecimens and data, and the development and study of a diverse set of model organisms and other systems to enhance our understanding of HIV cure and remission.

Priority: Study and characterize HIV latency, reservoirs, and persistence and pursue potential strategies, including vaccine- and other immune-based therapy research, for HIV cure/remission in infants and children.

Immune Crosstalk in Infant Immune System Development

Strategic Plan Theme 1: Understanding the Molecular, Cellular, and Structural Basis of Development
Strategic Plan Theme 2: Promoting Gynecologic, Andrologic, and Reproductive Health
Strategic Plan Cross-Cutting Topics: Infectious Disease, Nutrition

Gap: Infectious pathogens and other cellular and noncellular elements may influence immune crosstalk in pregnant women and their fetuses, thus affecting development of infant and childhood immunity.

Priority: Support basic science and translational research to understand immune crosstalk in pregnant women, placenta, and fetus, including the contributions of microbiome/virome, nutritional status, and host-pathogen interactions on the development of the infant immune system into childhood.

Adolescent HIV Acquisition and Disease: Focuses on understanding HIV transmission dynamics, the course of disease, and its management in youth, including those who acquire HIV perinatally
Youth with Perinatally Acquired HIV: Examines the long-term effects of HIV and its treatment on the growth and development, sexual maturation, organ function, and socialization of adolescents and young adults with perinatally acquired HIV, both domestically and internationally
Epidemiology and Natural History of HIV and HIV-Related Co-Infections in Infants, Children, and Adolescents: Investigates optimizing linkage to care, monitoring of therapy, adherence and durability of therapy, development of drug resistance, short- and long-term outcomes, epidemiology, treatment, and prevention of important co-infections, and other issues
Epidemiology and Natural History of HIV and HIV-Related Co-Infections in Women: Focuses on gender-specific manifestations of HIV, including natural history, impact of therapy, transmission, and interactions with hormones
HIV and Other Infections in Pregnancy and the Prevention of Perinatal Transmission: Aims to prevent and eliminate perinatal transmission and includes studies during pregnancy, effects of in utero drug exposures on the fetus, long-term follow-up, and evaluation of long-term adverse consequences of exposure
Non-HIV Infectious Disease Research: Addresses research gaps in children and pregnant people related to many HIV-associated co-infections
Therapeutic Research in HIV and Related Comorbidities: Evaluates new and improved therapies for treatment of HIV and its associated complications in pregnant people, infants, children, and adolescents
Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions: Focuses on the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults with or at risk for HIV; currently the only domestic, multicenter research network devoted to this population
Prevention and Treatment through a Comprehensive Care Continuum for HIV-affected Adolescents in Resource Constrained Settings (PATC³H): Works on an international scale to prevent and treat HIV among adolescents and young adults in seven African countries and Brazil
Centers for AIDS Research: Provides administrative and shared support to synergistically enhance and coordinate high-quality AIDS research projects
International epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA): Collects and analyzes maternal and pediatric HIV/AIDS data from seven international regional data centers: four in Africa and one each in the Asia-Pacific region, the Central/South America/Caribbean region, and North America
International Maternal, Pediatric, Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network: Evaluates potential therapies for HIV and its related co-infections (e.g., TB) in infants, children, and adolescents and during pregnancy, including clinical trials of HIV/AIDS interventions for prevention of perinatal transmission
NICHD Domestic & International Pediatric & Maternal HIV & other High-Priority Infectious Diseases Clinical Studies Network: Conducts trials related to preventing and treating HIV and its complications in newborns, infants, children, and adolescents and during pregnancy
Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study: Examines long-term safety of fetal and infant exposure to antiretroviral therapy and effects of perinatally acquired HIV in adolescents and young adults
Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study/Women’s Interagency HIV Study Combined Cohort Study: Investigates ways to understand and reduce the impact of chronic health conditions that affect people with HIV in the United States

Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative: Supports activities to reduce preventable causes of maternal death and improve maternal health
Research Challenges and Competitions: These mechanisms encourage research, development, and innovation among communities that do not traditionally apply for funding support
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HIV website: CDC provides information on HIV-related health topics
HIVinfo @ NIH: Contains information on HIV-related health topics, treatment and prevention guidelines, approved and investigational HIV drugs, vaccine research, and a search tool for HIV-specific clinical trials
WHO consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, testing, treatment, service delivery and monitoring: recommendations for a public health approach : Provides practice guidelines related to antiretroviral therapy

Sonia Lee, Branch Chief
Main Research Areas: Adolescent HIV; neurodevelopment and assessment; behavioral science, including HIV acquisition and HIV exposure in infants, children, and adolescents; programs and networks
Denise Russo, Deputy Branch Chief
Main Research Areas: HIV in women; infant immunity
Ayanna Brummell, Extramural Scientific Assistant
Samantha Calabrese, Public Health Analyst
Main Research Areas: Portfolio analysis methodology; epidemiology; Zika
Allahna Esber, Program Officer
Main Research Areas: HIV in women and adolescents; epidemiology; cohort studies; vaccines; HIV coinfections
Maria Hill, Extramural Staff Assistant
Eric Lorenzo, Program Officer
Main Research Areas: HIV cure; HIV persistence/latency and reservoirs
Sai Majji, Program Officer
Main Research Areas: Vaccines, immune-prophylactics, and therapeutics research in HIV, TB, and malaria infections in infants, children, adolescents, pregnant people, and women; regulatory affairs and clinical trial monitoring and data management
Jack Moye, Medical Officer
Main Research Areas: Laboratory quality assurance; biospecimen repository management; virology and immunology research; epidemiologic cohort studies and clinical trials
Franklin Yates, Medical Officer
Main Research Areas: Adolescent HIV prevention and treatment; adult and pediatric infectious diseases; emerging infectious diseases; viral hepatitis prevention and treatment in children and pregnant persons

Highlights

Get to Know NICHD! Learn more about what inspired MPIDB Chief Dr. Sonia Lee and Public Health Analyst Samantha Calabrese to pursue science and how their decisions and experiences led them to their careers with NICHD.
MPIDB leads and participates in many activities for NICHD related to COVID-19 research in children, during pregnancy and postpartum, and with underserved populations. Learn more on the COVID-19 Research and NICHD website.
- Predicting Viral-Associated Inflammatory Disease Severity in Children with Laboratory Diagnostics and Artificial Intelligence (PreVAIL kIds), is part of NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative to speed innovation in the development, commercialization, and implementation of technologies for COVID-19 testing.
News Release: NIH announces winners of data challenge to identify risk factors for first-time pregnancies. Awarded projects of the Decoding Maternal Morbidity Data Challenge seek to reduce pregnancy complications and prevent maternal deaths.
Subscribe to the MPIDB newsletter or read previous issues in the newsletter archive.

Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Disease Branch (MPIDB)

Overview/Mission

Branch Research Priorities

Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases

HIV: Adolescent Prevention

HIV and HIV Co-Infections: Adverse Pregnancy, Maternal, and Infant Outcomes Related to Prevention or Treatment

HIV: Cure/Remission in Infants and Children

Immune Crosstalk in Infant Immune System Development

Branch Research Programs and Networks

Branch-Funded Projects

Researcher Tools and Resources

Program Scientists, Staff, and Research Areas

Highlights