Abstract:
Pregnancy requires finely tuned immune adaptations to maintain fetal tolerance while preserving effective antiviral defense. Viral infections can disrupt this delicate balance, resulting in adverse pregnancy outcomes and long-term consequences for both maternal and child health. Beyond acute disease, prenatal viral exposure can induce persistent immune reprogramming that influences placental function, fetal development, and immune competence, increasing the risk of congenital abnormalities, neurodevelopmental disorders, and altered responses to infections and vaccination later in life.
In this seminar, Dr Foo will discuss how emerging and re-emerging viral pathogens reshape maternal and fetal immunity, with a particular focus on the mechanisms operating at the maternal-fetal interface. Drawing on insights from translational studies of Zika virus, SARS-CoV-2, and other medically important viruses, she will highlight how integrating clinical cohorts with human-relevant experimental models is advancing our understanding of viral pathogenesis during pregnancy. Finally, Dr Foo will discuss how these discoveries are informing the development of biomarkers, maternal immunization strategies, and targeted interventions to improve pregnancy outcomes and strengthen preparedness against future emerging infectious diseases.
Biography:
Dr Foo is a Principal Investigator at the A*STAR Infectious Diseases Laboratories and leads the Translational Infection Biology Laboratory. Her research focuses on viral infections during pregnancy, with emphasis on viral pathogenesis and maternal-fetal immunology. Her laboratory seeks to define the immunological consequences of prenatal viral exposure on maternal and fetal immune systems, identify host and viral determinants that modulate maternal-fetal immune responses, and develop trimester-specific prognostic and therapeutic strategies for virus-associated pregnancy complications and gestationally acquired viral diseases in children.
