Guilherme de Moraes Nobrega, Ph.D.

Research

In the Lim lab, I will examine how the timing of maternal infection and viral clades of monkeypox virus (MPXV) impact pregnancy outcomes. Studies in monkeys and humans indicate that MPXV can replicate in the placenta and can cross the maternal-fetal interface, leading to congenital disease. Although MPXV can cause miscarriage or stillbirth, in some cases, babies are born otherwise healthy. To explore how MPXV affects both mother and fetus, I established an ex vivo placental explant model that sustains MPXV infection, and, simultaneously, I developed a novel mouse model in which I can assess the effects of MPXV infection during pregnancy in vivo. Now, working with these models using cutting-edge techniques in cell and molecular immunobiology, microscopy, and gene profiling, I will determine which types of placental cells are targets of MPXV, identify the molecular signals they produce in response to infection in vivo and ex vivo, and assess how the timing of infection and different MPXV clades affects pregnancy outcomes in vivo in pregnant mice. These findings could guide the design and testing of targeted interventions that prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes and MPXV transmission from mother to fetus.