Lenore Pereira

My laboratory focuses on the biology of HCMV infection in the developing human placenta and its function as a conduit for virus transmission. Supported by NIAID for 14 years, our focus includes: (1) natural protective immune responses that suppress intrauterine viral replication and transmission by analyzing placentas and maternal sera at delivery from HCMV-complicated pregnancies, (2) studies in a villous explant model for characterizing patterns of HCMV replication in early gestation placentas based on differentially expressed receptors, 3) serological diagnosis of infection and transmission from analysis of placentas at delivery, and (4) quantitative studies showing the potential for anti-HCMV neutralizing antibodies to reduce infection in explants of human placental villi and xenografts in Scid-hu mouse model. We are committed to increasing clinical awareness of congenital HCMV infection through translational studies of infected human placentas, emphasis on the value of prenatal serodiagnosis and necessity for screening all newborns for congenital infection.