Using mass cytometry in combination with extensive plasma protein analyses, researchers from Karolinska Institutet have been able to study how the neonatal immune system develops after birth in response to the bacteria, viruses, etc. in its new environment.
"This is the first time we've pinned down how the human immune system adapts itself to birth and the new environment," says Petter Brodin, doctor and researcher at the Science for Life Laboratory and the Karolinska Institutet. "We saw drastic changes in the babies' immune system between each sampling, which shows that it is highly dynamic early in life."
The study, detailed in a paper published in Cell today, compared blood samples from 100 babies, both premature and full-term, taken during the first, fourth, and twelfth week.
Only small amounts of blood, just a few drops from each baby, are needed to analyze all the white blood cells and hundreds of proteins circulating in the blood. The researchers were also able to show that the babies who had abnormal development of the gut flora during the first weeks also demonstrated a disorder of the immune system.
"Our results are important for better understanding the infection-sensitivity of newborn babies and the risks of premature birth," says Dr Brodin. "If we can monitor the development of the immune system and steer it in different directions, we make it possible to prevent autoimmune diseases and allergies, which are partly related to the development of the immune system, and to even develop better vaccines, tailored to the neonatal immune system."