Claire Otero, Ph.D.
Weill Cornell Medical College, Postdoctoral Associate in Pediatrics
“Viral Fc receptors as vaccine antigens for prevention of congenital CMV”
About 1 in 200 babies in the US are born with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). The most common symptom of congenital CMV is hearing loss, but other more severe neurodevelopmental deficits happen as well.
CMV is also a very problematic infection in the transplant setting, raising the risk of graft rejection. There is currently no approved CMV vaccine.
Dr. Otero aims to overcome one of the key challenges in creating an effective vaccine for CMV by blocking this important immune evasion mechanism through vaccination to improve antiviral Fc-mediated immunity.
CMV is a common disease that can prove deadly for those with weakened immune systems. If successful, the completion of the proposed experiments would significantly impact a very important aspect of human health and an area where no efficient vaccines are available.
About Claire Otero
Claire Otero received her B.S. in Chemistry from the College of Idaho and her Ph.D. from Duke University. She is currently a postdoctoral associate at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she is training under Dr. Sallie Permar.