Vaccine preventable diseases in pregnant and lactating women

Due to the high susceptibility and vulnerability of pregnant women, foetuses and infants from infectious diseases, maternal immunization has gained interest in recent years. Nevertheless, the optimal time point for vaccination in pregnancy is still unknown. Also, dynamic changes in immune function occur during pregnancy if a vaccine is given at a different gestational age. This may affect vaccine response and kinetics of vaccine-induced maternal antibodies in blood and breastmilk in pregnant women. Additionally, since several recommendations for vaccination in pregnancy are currently in place or being made, the question arises whether the administration of different vaccines in pregnancy has an impact on the immune responses to these vaccines and possibly causes an interaction in the kinetics of antibodies induced by different vaccines. Within this project, we aim to determine the optimal time point for vaccination in pregnancy and we compare antibody kinetics and investigate potential interactions in immune responses when administering different vaccines (e.g. pertussis, COVID-19) in pregnancy. We develop conceptual frameworks in which we combine statistical approaches with mathematical models of infectious diseases in order to improve the analysis and the design of maternal immunization studies. The focus of the project will be on pertussis and COVID-19, but outcomes can be applied to other infectious diseases for which vaccines can be administered in pregnancy.