Dr. Mitchell Cairo Secures $2.6M FDA Grant for Infant CMV Infection Treatment Research
The Grant Will Explore an Innovative Treatment for Babies Born with Cytomegalovirus Infection, a Common Cause of Birth Defects in the US
Mitchell Cairo, M.D., professor of pediatrics, cell biology and anatomy, medicine, and of pathology, microbiology, and immunology, has received a $2.6 million grant from the Food and Drug Administration to explore a novel and innovative treatment for babies born with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection – the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the United States.
“Moderate to severe congenital CMV infection in infants results in significant developmental changes and hearing loss,” says Dr. Cairo. “The current treatment for CMV is the oral antibiotic (anti-viral) drug valganciclovir. Unfortunately, this drug alone is incapable of both eliminating CMV infection and preventing severe neurodevelopmental disabilities.”
This grant will allow Dr. Cairo and his research team to investigate the safety and effectiveness of combining valganciclovir with CMV memory T-cells from maternal donors to improve outcomes for infants with moderate to severe congenital CMV infection.