University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · BiologyThe Maternal Immunity Initiative
Adrienne M Antonson · Champaign, Illinois
Research Focus
Dr. Adrienne Antonson's lab focuses on understanding how maternal influenza infections affect fetal brain development. They investigate the immune signaling pathways that cross from mother to fetus and how these affect the baby's brain. By using advanced techniques, the lab aims to find ways to mitigate the negative impacts of such infections, potentially leading to strategies that could protect both mothers and their unborn children from neurodevelopmental disorders.
transplacental immune signalingmaternal influenzafetal brain pathologyneurodevelopmental disordersinflammationcytokine inhibitors
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate immune pathways that travel from mother to fetus during influenza infection.
AIM 02Determine the effects of maternal influenza on fetal brain inflammation.
AIM 03Assess the role of IL-6 signaling in fetal brain development during infection.
AIM 04Define the cellular shifts in the placenta during maternal flu exposure.
AIM 05Explore potential antenatal therapies to reduce fetal neuroinflammation.
Skills the Lab Values
flow cytometryRNA sequencingmouse modelsspatial transcriptomicsimmunohistochemistrycell culture
Output against the department
Publications43bottom 9% of dept.940th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations516bottom 2% of dept.1,013th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.