Division News

Forever Chemicals, Lasting Effects: Prenatal PFAS Exposure Shapes Baby Immunity

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

New research reveals that tiny amounts of PFAS—widely known as “forever chemicals”—cross the placenta and breast milk to alter infants’ developing immune systems, potentially leaving lasting imprints on their ability to fight disease.

University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) researchers tracked 200 local healthy mother–baby pairs, measuring common PFAS compounds in maternal blood during pregnancy and then profiling infants’ key T‑cell populations at birth, six months, and one year. By age 12 months, babies whose mothers had higher prenatal PFAS exposure exhibited significantly fewer T follicular helper (Tfh) cells—vital coaches that help B cells produce strong, long‑lasting antibodies—and disproportionately more Th2, Th1, and regulatory T cells (Tregs), each linked to allergies, autoimmunity, or immune suppression when out of balance.

“This is the first study to identify changes in specific immune cells that are in the process of developing at the time of PFAS exposure,” said Kristin Scheible, MD, an associate professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology & Immunology at URMC and lead author of the study, which appears in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. “Identification of these particular cells and pathways opens up the potential for early monitoring or mitigation strategies for the effects of PFAS exposure, in order to prevent lifelong diseases.”

Early Antibiotics Alter Immune Function in Infants

Thursday, June 19, 2025

A new study led by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that early-life exposure to antibiotics can impair an infant's developing immune system, and that a naturally occurring metabolite may hold the key to reversing that damage. 

Published in Cell, the study uncovered how antibiotic exposure during pregnancy and infancy may permanently weaken the immune system's ability to fight respiratory infections like the flu. By analyzing both mouse models and human infant lung tissue, the researchers discovered that early antibiotics disrupt the gut microbiome's ability to produce inosine, a molecule that serves as an important signal for developing immune cells. 

Hitesh Deshmukh, M.D., Ph.D., Brings Renowned Experience Studying Immune Development in Babies

Monday, April 7, 2025

Hitesh S. Deshmukh, MD, PhD, is a leading expert in Neonatology with a career spanning multiple continents. He earned his medical degree at the University of Mumbai, completed fellowships at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Duke University, and currently serves as the Director of the Center for Perinatal Immunity at the University of Cincinnati—one of the nation’s top pediatric institutions.