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Final Program


Final Program

Systems Immunology

Integration of Systems Immunology and Serology to Decipher Maternal Predictors and Determinants of Antibody Transfer in Mother-Infant Dyads

W216 - Integration of Systems Immunology and Serology to Decipher Maternal Predictors and Determinants of Antibody Transfer in Mother-infant Dyads

Wednesday, June 25, 2025
7:30am - 7:30pm East Coast USA Time
  • CL

    Can Liu, n/a

    Postdoctoral associate
    Yale Center for Systems and Engineering Immunology (CSEI) and Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
    New Haven, Connecticut, United States

  • AM

    Andrew J. Martins

    Yale Center for Systems and Engineering Immunology (CSEI) and Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

  • AH

    Ao Huang

    Yale Center for Systems and Engineering Immunology (CSEI) and Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Yale Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics graduate program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

  • SB

    Shoham Benmelech

    Yale Center for Systems and Engineering Immunology (CSEI) and Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Yale Biomedical Engineering graduate program, Yale University School of Engineering & Applied Science, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

  • DK

    Dhvanir N. Kansara

    Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA

  • PP

    Pieter Pannus

    European Plotkin Institute for Vaccinology, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

  • MS

    Meirav Sela

    Yale Center for Systems and Engineering Immunology (CSEI) and Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

  • LD

    Larissa Debrabandere

    Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, Vaccine & Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, Belgium

  • ID

    Isabelle Desombere

    Scientific Direction Infectious Diseases in Humans, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium

  • LH

    Leo Heyndrickx

    Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium

  • KA

    Kevin Arien

    Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium

  • MG

    Maria E. Goossens

    Scientific Direction Infectious Diseases in Humans, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium

  • KM

    Kirsten Maertens

    Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, Vaccine & Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, Belgium

  • MA

    Margaret E. Ackerman

    Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA

  • AM

    Arnaud Marchant

    European Plotkin Institute for Vaccinology, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

  • John S. Tsang, PhD

    Professor and Director
    Yale Center for Systems and Engineering Immunology (CSEI) and Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
    New Haven, Connecticut, United States

Abstract Text: While it is appreciated that pregnancy alters maternal immune states, major knowledge gaps remain. For example, how various immune cell types and their states are shifted throughout gestation, and crucially, how these changes might impact function such as responses to vaccines and subsequent antibody transfer to neonates, are not well understood. To address these gaps, we conducted a multi-center study involving two distinct maternal cohorts: one immunized with the BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and the other with the influenza vaccine. Using a combined systems immunology and serology approach, we applied multiplexed CITE-seq and bead-based Ig and Fc antibody profiling to examine the immune cell and serological landscapes of pregnant and non-pregnant women before and after vaccination. Our findings revealed distinct immune profiles in pregnant women, marked by heightened IFN response signatures and unique shifts in cell states at baseline. We hypothesized that hormones are major regulators of maternal immune states and indeed, in vitro stimulation with different estrogen levels mirrored in vivo immune cell state shifts. By integrating single-cell multiomics data with system serology, we identified maternal predictors of vaccine responses and maternal-to-fetal antibody transfer distinct from non-pregnant women, thus suggesting pregnancy-specific predictors and determinants of vaccine responses. Related baseline states appear to predict the extent of antibody transfer to the infant beyond the magnitude of the maternal serological responses, especially for the mRNA vaccine. These findings advance both basic immunological insights and provide a foundation for optimizing maternal vaccination strategies to enhance maternal and infant immunity.