Learning pregnancy’s code for suppressing autoimmunity (A02)

• Subject Area: Reproductive Medicine, Urology ; Immunology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 534829736

Pregnancy significantly reduces multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse rates during pregnancy, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In a unique cohort of 80 pregnant women with MS and 80 healthy pregnant women, we will employ metabolic state measurements, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-cell T-cell receptor sequencing (scTCR) to systematically identify key immune regulators during pregnancy. Our project will advance the understanding of immune adaptations during pregnancy and their implications for maternal autoimmunity and maternal immune activation (MIA).

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1713: Maternal Immune Activation: Causes and Consequences
• Applicant Institution: Universität Hamburg
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Stefan M. Gold; Dr. Max Kaufmann