Immunology and Virology: Understanding the Rules Governing Fetal Immune Memory and Improving Defenses Against Infections with Single-cell and Spatial Biology
- Aim: To investigate how pediatric adaptive, innate immune memory and trained immunity alter viral pathogenesis.
- Techniques: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), T and B cell receptor (TCR/BCR) sequencing, spatial transcriptomics.
- Funding: NIH Loan Repayment Program Award in Pediatrics Research and Texas Children’s Hospital Seed Award. Formerly the 2022 American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy Career Development Award and an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology.
Environmental Health: Investigating the Impact of Micro- and Nanoplastic (MNP) on Maternal-Fetal Health and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes
- Aim: To quantify MNP bioaccumulation in the placenta and its correlation with preterm birth.
- Techniques: Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), spatial multiomics.
- Funding: P30ES030285 Golf Coast Center for Precision Environmental Health (GC-CPEH) Pilot Award and Texas Children’s Hospital Seed Award. Formerly a Maternal and Infant Environmental Health Riskscape (MIEHR) Research Center Pilot Award.
Fetal Gene Therapies: Improving Early Developmental Trajectories to Limit Chronic Diseases
- Aim: To optimize and test the delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing via lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for in utero gene editing of somatic cells.
- Techniques: CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, lipid nanoparticle delivery, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), spatial transcriptomics.
- Funding: Texas Children’s Hospital Seed Award. Formerly the 2022 American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy Career Development Award.
By integrating these projects, The Barrozo Lab continues to push the boundaries of maternal-fetal medicine and environmental health, leveraging advanced technologies to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations.