Immunological Aspects of Preterm Birth

Irina Burd, MD, PhD is Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Maryland. She is a maternal fetal medicine physician-scientist with clinical expertise in high-risk pregnancy conditions and a research program studying the impact of maternal infection and inflammation on fetal brain development. She is a member of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the Society for Reproductive Investigation (SRI), the American Society for Reproductive Immunology (ASRI), and the Perinatal Research Society (PRS). Dr. Burd has published over 150 peer-reviewed publications and is the recipient of numerous honors, including the President’s Achievement Award from the SRI and ASRI Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Burd served as the Chair of the NICHD Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Biology Study Section (2016-2021) and currently serves as Past President of PRS and President of ASRI. She has been continuously funded by NIH for the past ten years.

1. Preterm labor, preterm birth and prematurity: Molecular and clinical phenotypes
2. Screening, diagnosis and therapeutic approaches to preterm labor
3. Potential use of biomarkers as therapeutic targets of immunotherapy in preterm birth
4. Fetal and placental inflammation in preterm birth
5. Innate Immunity: the role of macrophages and beyond
6. The role of T cells and other adaptive immune mediators in preterm birth
7. Spontaneous preterm birth: Immunoperinatology perspective
8. Fetal pathophysiological changes in preterm birth
9. Vaginal microbiome and preterm birth
10. Viral infections and preterm birth
11. Environment-immune interactions and epigenetics in preterm birth
12. Special considerations: Pregnancy and organ transplantation
13. Placenta: Window into neonatal health
14. Neonatal outcomes following preterm birth
15. Spontaneous preterm birth: Current therapies and opportunities for the future
16. Pathway forward