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Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
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Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

The Rick Lab

Maternal Infant Immunity through Maternal Immunizations and Infection (MII MII)

The MII MII Laboratory - Maternal Infant Immunity through Maternal Immunizations and InfectionThe MII MII Laboratory is committed to protecting the health of mothers and infants by conducting infectious disease clinical and public health research to advance clinical knowledge.

Led by Anne-Marie Rick, MD, PhD, MPH, the laboratory is actively researching:

  • Improved identification of newborn sepsis.
  • Maternal RSV, Covid-19, and influenza vaccine effectiveness and infant protection.
  • Perinatal hepatitis C virus exposure in newborns.

Infectious diseases are a significant cause of severe illness and death in newborns and young children. During pregnancy, the mother’s immune system provides protection to the infant through the transfer of antibodies. In the postpartum period, the mother’s antibodies are provided to the newborn through breastmilk.

Although there is evidence to support mother-infant immunity, important gaps in knowledge still exist and need to be addressed by future studies.