My research, supported by the Fulbright program, aims to explore the relationship between maternal autoantibodies and neurodevelopmental disorders in children.
Autoantibodies are faulty components of the body's immune system. Rather than attacking harmful germs, they mistakenly target the body's own tissues.
During pregnancy and the first few months of life, the infant's immune system is still developing, relying on antibodies passed from the mother through the placenta for protection against infections. Recent studies suggest that this process can also transfer autoantibodies that attack the nervous system, potentially affecting the child’s neurodevelopment. For instance, autoantibodies against CASPR2 have been associated with autism in children.
However, if a child later diagnosed with autism had been exposed to maternal autoantibodies during infancy, these antibodies wouldn't be detectable by the time of diagnosis, which typically occurs around ages 5 or 6. By this point, any antibodies passed from the mother would no longer be present in the child’s bloodstream.
So, how can we "look back" and identify these autoantibodies? This is the focus of my research for the year.
