Posts by Andrea Edlow, MD, MSc
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In Utero Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 May Increase the Risk of Cardiometabolic Disease
Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found that infants who have in utero exposure to maternal SARS-CoV-2 exhibit lower birth weight followed by accelerated weight gain in the first year of life, a pattern thought to increase the risk of obesity and cardiometabolic disease in childhood and adulthood.
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Sex-specific Impact of Maternal Obesity on Fetal Placental Macrophages and Cord Blood Triglycerides
LydiaL. Shook, MD, Andrea G. Edlow, MD, MSc, and colleagues observed that maternal obesity was more immune-activating in the male than female placenta. They also observed sexual dimorphism in placental lipid transfer. These findings may explain sex differences in cardiometabolic disease risk in obesity-exposed offspring.
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COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy Produces Durable Antibodies in Young Infants
Lydia L. Shook, MD, Andrea G. Edlow, MD, MSc, and colleagues found that at age six months, infants born to mothers vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy were significantly more likely to have detectable antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein than infants whose mothers became infected with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy.
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Studying SARS-CoV-2 and mRNA Vaccines in Mothers and Babies
Researchers at Mass General are studying the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and mRNA vaccines in pregnant and lactating individuals, as well as neonates.
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Protection After First Dose of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Slower to Develop in Pregnant Women
Andrea Edlow, MD, MSc, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and colleagues discovered antibody profiles induced by the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines develops more slowly than normal in pregnant/lactating women. This highlights the critical need to administer two doses at the recommended interval in pregnancy.
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Maternal and Placental Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Differ by Fetal Sex
Massachusetts General Hospital researchers present evidence that fetal sex plays a key role in modifying maternal humoral responses and placental innate and adaptive immune responses. They found significantly reduced transfer of SARS-CoV-2–specific antibodies to male fetuses.
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Novel Cell Models Allow Study of How COVID-19, Other Maternal Exposures Affect the Fetal Brain
By reprogramming neonatal cord blood mononuclear cells, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have created patient-specific models of fetal microglia-mediated synaptic pruning. These will permit non-invasive investigation of how maternal exposures, including SARS-CoV-2 infection, affect the fetal brain.
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COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination of Pregnant and Lactating Women Generates Robust Maternal Immunity, May Provide Protection for Newborns
Andrea G. Edlow, MD, MSc, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has provided the first evidence from a large cohort that immunogenicity and reactogenicity to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are similar to that observed in non-pregnant women, and immune transfer to the neonate occurs via placenta and breastmilk.
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Placental Transfer of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Is Compromised
In a study that has implications for vaccine development, Andrea G. Edlow, MD, MSc, of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, and Galit Alter, PhD, of the Ragon Institute, found the transfer of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to cord blood is compromised in those infected in the third trimester.
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Vertical Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Is Rare but Immunity Is Compromised in Neonates
Based on data from a prospective cohort study, Andrea G. Edlow, MD, MSc, and colleagues caution that transplacental transfer of anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies is inefficient, which may leave neonates at risk of infection.
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Review: Mechanisms of Maternal Obesity with Neuromorbidity in Offspring
Studies are uncovering how prenatal and lactational exposure to maternal obesity leads to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders in offspring.
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Review: Cardiometabolic Effects of Exposure to Maternal Obesity
Perinatal exposure to maternal obesity has lasting adverse cardiometabolic effects on children, including increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in adulthood.
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Composition of Maternal Diet Influences Fetal Brain Gene Expression and Offspring Behavior in Mice
Even in the absence of maternal over- or undernutrition, the choice of diet for pregnant mice significantly affected fetal brain development and the neonatal and adult behavior of offspring.
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Exploring the Relationship Between Maternal Obesity and Adverse Fetal Neurodevelopment
Evidence from a pilot study suggests that maternal obesity primes macrophages in the fetal brain and placenta to overrespond to immune challenge. Male fetuses may be more vulnerable to this proinflammatory priming.
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Placental Macrophages Provide Information About Fetal Brain Microglia
Researchers have shown that a subset of placental immune cells may provide insight into the behavior of microglia in the fetal brain in the setting of maternal obesity. This marks a first step toward identifying a biomarker of fetal neuroimmune activation that is accessible during pregnancy or immediately after birth.
Biography
Andrea Edlow, MD, MSc, received her BA in history from Yale University, followed by a master’s degree in economic and social history from Oxford University. She attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and completed OB/GYN residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital Combined Residency program. She completed her maternal-fetal medicine fellowship at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.
Dr. Edlow is currently an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School, and maternal-fetal medicine staff at Massachusetts General Hospital. She runs her own research lab in the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology. She is completing the 5th year of a K12 award through the Reproductive Scientist Development Program/NICHD. Her research is also funded by the March of Dimes, American College of OB/GYN, American Board of OB/GYN, the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund, the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard,and the Boston Area Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center. Dr. Edlow’s research focuses on the effects of maternal obesity on fetal brain development and offspring behavior.
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