Congratulations to Dr. Wendy Maury on receiving the NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases UH2 grant for her project, “Identifying placental tissue tropism and cellular mechanisms of Ebola Virus transmission from mother to fetus in pregnancy.”

Maternal viral infections during pregnancy can have severe consequences for both mother and fetus. Recent outbreaks of Ebola (EBOV), Zika (ZIKV), and SARS-CoV-2 have highlighted these risks. However, there is limited data on how these viruses affect the placenta and the transmission of the virus to the fetus. Dr. Maury's project aims to understand EBOV’s behavior in pregnancy by studying its preference for placental tissues and the cell receptors it uses in the placenta. These studies will provide crucial insights for developing treatments for EBOV during pregnancy.