Immune Response Following Tdap Vaccination in Pregnant vs. Non Pregnant Women

Many vaccine-preventable diseases, like influenza, pertussis, and tetanus cause substantial morbidity and mortality in pregnant women, newborns and infants. Immunization during pregnancy has the potential to provide protection to the newborn and infant by the transplacental transfer of vaccine-specific maternal antibodies. However, the immunobiology underlying immunization during pregnancy, that leads to the protection of the newborn are not understood. Current vaccine formulations were designed for and tested in non-pregnant populations; yet substantial immune modulations take place during different stages of pregnancy and potentially can impact the humoral response following maternal immunization. The investigators thus have insufficient data on quantity and quality of the immune response during pregnancy and how this relates to immunity provided from the mother to the newborn. First, The investigators hypothesize that the nature and breadth of the humoral immune response following vaccination differs in pregnant and non-pregnant vaccinees. Next, The investigators hypothesize that the vaccine-specific antibodies that cross the placenta, comprise distinct repertoire features thus, the placenta functions as a differential barrier for antibody transfer. To test these hypotheses, The investigators will use proteomic and genomic/transcriptomic measurements of antibody repertoires in the maternal and cord blood compartments. The measurements will be based on antibody clonal diversity/frequency, V(D)J germline usage and SHM, where we expect to find changes in i) vaccine-specific B cell frequency, antibody clonal diversity, germline usage and SHM in pregnant women and ii) distinct repertoire features in the transplacental vaccine-specific antibody compartment compared the maternal compartment. The investigators will utilize deep sequencing and proteomic technologies to provide, for the first time, insight into the immunobiology of a promising intervention aimed to prevent early life infectious morbidity and mortality and establish new research avenues for vaccine research in vulnerable populations.