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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
Mapping Infant Immunity with Minimal Input: Integrative Single-Cell and Multiomic Profiling
Published on: April 3, 2026
Differential patterns of 27 cord blood immune biomarkers across gestational age
Nana Matoba1, Yunxian Yu, Karen Mestan
1Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA. n-matoba@northwestern.edu
Insights
Immune biomarkers in cord blood show varied associations with preterm birth, with some increasing and others decreasing in premature infants. Higher concentrations of significant biomarkers correlate with stronger associations with prematurity.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Immunology
- Molecular Epidemiology
- Perinatal Medicine
Background:
- Inflammation is linked to preterm delivery and adverse neonatal outcomes like cerebral palsy and chronic lung disease.
- Previous studies have not simultaneously assessed a broad spectrum of inflammatory mediators in relation to gestational age.
- Understanding these relationships is crucial for identifying potential mechanisms of preterm birth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the distribution of immune biomarkers in cord blood across different gestational ages.
- To investigate the association between patterns of biomarker levels and the occurrence of preterm birth.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of clinical and biomarker data from 927 births within a molecular epidemiological study of preterm birth.
- Simultaneous quantification of 27 immune biomarkers using immunoassay.
- Statistical analysis correlating biomarker quartiles with gestational age groups (<32, 33-36, >37 weeks) and logistic regression for dose-response relationships with preterm birth.
Main Results:
- Biomarkers were categorized into those increased in preterm birth (e.g., IL-2, IL-4, IL-8, TNF-alpha), decreased in preterm birth (e.g., BDNF, IL-1beta, MMP-9), or not associated with preterm birth.
- Significant biomarkers demonstrated a dose-response correlation with preterm birth.
- The strength of association for significant biomarkers increased with their concentration.
Conclusions:
- Immune biomarker levels exhibit diverse associations with prematurity.
- The concentration of significant biomarkers is directly related to the strength of their association with preterm birth.
- Findings offer insights for future research into the mechanisms underlying preterm birth.
Objectives:
Inflammation has been associated with preterm delivery and adverse neonatal outcomes such as cerebral palsy and chronic lung disease. However, no study to date has simultaneously examined a wide range of inflammatory mediators and their relationship to gestational age. We sought to describe the distribution of immune biomarkers in cord blood across gestational age and to investigate the association between biomarker level patterns and preterm birth.
Patients And Methods:
As part of a large-scale molecular epidemiological study of preterm birth conducted at Boston Medical Center, this study analyzed both clinical and biomarker data from 927 births. Twenty-seven biomarkers were simultaneously quantified by immunoassay. The associations between the quartiles of 27 biomarkers and 3 gestational groups (< or =32, 33-36, and > or =37 weeks) were analyzed. Biomarkers found to be significant were further analyzed for dose-response correlation with preterm birth by logistic regression, adjusted for pertinent demographic and clinical factors.
Results:
The 27 biomarkers could be classified into 1 of 3 groups: (1) biomarkers increased in preterm birth (interleukin [IL]-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, IL-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP]-1alpha, MIP-1beta, soluble IL-6 receptor alpha, tumor necrosis factor alpha, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor I, and TREM-1 [triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1]); (2) biomarkers decreased in preterm birth (brain-derived neurotrophic factor, IL-1beta, IL-18, matrix metalloproteinase 9, and neurotrophin 3); and (3) biomarkers not associated with preterm birth (IL-6, IL-12, IL-17, granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interferon gamma, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, neurotrophin 4, RANTES [regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted], transforming growth factor beta, and tumor necrosis factor beta).
Conclusions:
Biomarkers have different directions of association with prematurity; for significant biomarkers, the strength of association increases with biomarker concentration. Our results provide important information that could be used to guide additional studies aimed at determining mechanisms that contribute to preterm birth.
