top of page

RESEARCH

Our global research focuses on maternal and infant vaccinations, optimizing vaccination strategies in the community setting, and improving vaccine immunity.  We do this by studying infant immune development, responses to mucosal vaccination, and the influence of breast milk and gut microbes on immune responses.  Our research starts at the bed side, is taken to the bench, and then back to bed side and community. Our goal is to find strategies to improve vaccine effectiveness and protect vulnerable infants and children from infectious diseases worldwide. 

​

GLOBAL

COLLABORATORS

1280_Qim8azYCK251.png
1280_Qim8azYCK251.png
ucla logo.jpg
u of mich logo.jpg
kaiser logo.png
st jude logo.png
lajolla logo.png
ESR NZ logo.png
GORGAS logo.png
peru logo.png

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

  1. Congrave-Wilson Z*, Cheng WA*, Lee Y, Perez S, Turner L, Marentes Ruiz CJ, Mendieta S, Skura A, Jumarang J, Del Valle J, Kubale J, Gordon A, Allen EK, Thomas PG, Pannaraj PS. Twelve-month longitudinal serology in SARS-CoV-2 naïve and experienced vaccine recipients and unvaccinated COVID-19-infected individuals. Vaccines 2022;10(5):813. PMID: 35632569

  2. Pannaraj PS, Costa-Martins AG, Cerini C, Li F, Wong SS, Webby RJ, Singh Y, Urbanski AH, Gonzalez-Dias P, Yang J, Nakaya H, Aldrovandi GM. Molecular Alterations in Human Milk in Simulated Maternal Mucosal Infection with Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccination.  Mucosal Immunol 2022;15(5):1040-1047. PMID: 35739193

  3. Bender JM, Lee Y, Cheng W, Marentes Ruiz CJ, Pannaraj PS. Coronavirus disease 2019 (CoVID-19) vaccine booster effects are seen in human milk antibody response. Front Nutr. 2022; 9:898849. PMID: 35685893

  4. Perez S, Luna Centeno LD, Cheng W, Marentes Ruiz CJ, Congrave-Wilson Z, Powell R, Stellwagen L, Pannaraj PS. Human milk SARS-CoV-2 antibodies up to 6 months after vaccination. Pediatrics. Pediatrics. 2022:e2021054260.  PMID: 34981122

  5. Tanaka ML, Marentes Ruiz CJ, Malhotra S, Turner L, Peralta A, Lee Y, Jumarang J, Perez S, Dien Bard J, Gordon A, Allen EK, Thomas PG, Pannaraj PS. SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Dynamics in Households With Children, Los Angeles, California. Front Pediatr. 2022; 9:752993. PMID: 35071125

  6. Pannaraj PS, Congrave-Wilson Z, Lee Y. Saliva RT-PCR Sensitivity Over the Course of SARS-COV-2 Infection-Reply.. JAMA. 2022; 327(2):183-184. PMID: 35015041

  7. Rowntree LC, Nguyen TH, Kedzierski L, Neeland MR, Petersen J, Crawford JC, Allen LF, Clemens EB, Chau B, McQuilten HA, Minervina AA, Pogorelyy MV, Chaurasia P, Tan HX, Wheatley AK, Jia X, Amanat F, Krammer F, Allen EK, Sonda S, Flanagan KL, Jumarang J, Pannaraj PS, Licciardi PV, Kent SJ, Bond KA, Williamson DA, Rossjohn J, Thomas PG, Tosif S, Crawford NW, van de Sandt CE, Kedzierska K. SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell memory with common TCRαβ motifs is established in unvaccinated children who seroconvert after infection. Immunity, 2022; 55(7):1299-1315.e4. PMID: 35750048 

  8. Schiff J*, Schmidt AR, Pham PK, Perez J, Pannaraj PS. Chaudhari PP, Liberman DB. Parental Attitudes in the Pediatric Emergency Department about the COVID-19 Vaccine. Vaccine 2022 Oct 31 [online ahead of print]. PMID: 36344362.

  9. Sahni LC, Price AM, Olson SM, Newhams MM, Pannaraj PS, ... Randolph AG, Patel MM, Boom JA. Factors associated with COVID-19 non-vaccination in adolescents hospitalized without COVID-19. J Pediatr Infect Dis Soc. 2022 Oct 30 [Online ahead of print]. PMID: 36309873

  10. Halasa NB, Olson SM, Staat MA, Newhams MM, Price AM, Pannaraj PS, ... Campbell AP, Randolph AG, Patel MM; Overcoming Covid-19 Investigators. Maternal Vaccination and Risk of Hospitalization for Covid-19 among Infants. N Eng J Med, 2022; 387(2):109-119.  PMID: 35731908

  11. Parker R*, Le J, Doan A, Aguiyo-Hiraldo P, Pannaraj PS, O’Gorman M, Dien-Bard J, Parekh C. COVID-19 in children, adolescents and young adults with cancer. Int J Cancer. 2022; 151(11):1913-1924. PMID: 35793239

  12. Olson SM, Newhams MM, Halasa NB, Price AM, Boom JA, Sahni LC, Pannaraj PS, ... Zambrano LD, Campbell AP, Patel MM, Randolph AG; Overcoming Covid-19 Investigators. Effectiveness of BNT162b2 Vaccine against Critical Covid-19 in Adolescents. N Engl J Med. 2022; 386(8):713-723. PMID: 35021004

  13. Price AM, Olson SM, Newhams MM, Halasa NB, Boom JA, Sahni LC, Pannaraj PS, ... Zambrano LD, Campbell AP, Patel MM, Randolph AG; Overcoming Covid-19 Investigators. BNT162b2 Protection against the Omicron Variant in Children and Adolescents. N Engl J Med. 2022; 386(20):1899-1909.  PMID: 35353976.

  14. Olson SM, Newhams MM, Halasa NB, et al. Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA Vaccination Against COVID-19 Hospitalization Among Persons Aged 12–18 Years — United States, June–September 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:1483–1488.

  15. Price AM, Olson SM, Newhams MM, Halasa NB, Boom JA, Sahni, LC, Pannaraj PS, ... Zambrano LD, Campbell AP, Patel MM, Randolph AG. Effectiveness of BNT162b2 Vaccine Against Omicron Hospitalizations in Children and Adolescents. N Engl J Med. 2022; 386(20):1899-1909. PMID: 35353976.

  16. Cheng WA, Turner L, Marentes Ruiz CJ, Tanaka ML, Congrave-Wilson Z, Lee Y, Jumarang J, Perez S, Peralta A, Pannaraj PS. Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 differ by age and obesity status. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2021 Oct 19. Online ahead of print. PMID: 34668322.

  17. Congrave-Wilson Z, Lee Y, Jumarang J, Perez S, Bender J, Dien Bard J, Pannaraj PS. Change in Saliva RT-PCR Sensitivity over the Course of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. JAMA 2021 Sep 21;326(11):1065-1067. PMID 34387653.

  18. Haq H, Msekandiana A, Matshaba M, Thahane LK, Watts J, Tam RP, St Clair NE, Schubert CJ, Rule ARL, Pannaraj PS, Pitt MB, Oleson DS, Murray B, Morris LE, Mendoza JC, McHenry MS, Keating EM, Ferrer K, Crouse HL, Condurache T, Batra M, Barnes AE, Conway JH. Global Health Electives in the COVID-19 Era: Resuming Travel and Strengthening Global Health Academic Partnerships. International Journal of Medical Education, 2022 May 31;13:143-147. PMID: 35642478

  19. Clemente S, Kaplan SL, Barson WJ, Lin PL, Romero JR, Bradley JS, Tan TQ, Pannaraj PS, Givner LB, and Hultén KG. Decrease in pediatric invasive pneumococcal disease during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Pediatr Dis Soc. 2022 Jun 22  [online ahead of print].

  20. Truong T, Ryutov A, Pandey U, Yee R, Goldberg L, Bhojwani D, Aguayo-Hiraldo P, Pinsky B, Pekosz A, Shen L, Boyd SD, Wirz OF, Roltgen K, Bootwalla M, Maglinte DR, Ostrow D, Ruble D, Han JH, Biegel JA, Li M, Huang CH, Sahoo MK, Pannaraj PS, O’Gorman M, Judkins AR, Gai X, Dien Bard J. Persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection and increasing viral variants in children and young adults with impaired humoral immunity. EBioMedicine 2021.

  21. ten-Caten F, Gonzalez-Dias P, Castro I, Ogava R, Giddaluru J, Silva JCS, Martins F, Goncalves ANA, Costa-Martins AG, Araujo JD, Viegas AC, Cunha FQ, Farsky S, Bozza FA, Levin AS, Pannaraj PS, de Silva TI, Minoprio P Andrade BB, da Silva FP, Hakaya HI. In-depth Analysis of Laboratory Parameters Reveals the Interplay Between Sex, Age and Systemic Inflammation in Individuals with COVID-19. Int J Infect Dis. 2021 Apr; 105:579-587.  PMID: 33713813

  22. Yee R, Truong T, Pannaraj PS, Eubanks N, Gai E, Jumarang J, Turner L, Peralta A, Lee Y, Bard JD. Saliva is a promising alternative specimen for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in children and adults. J Clin Micro, 2021 Jan 21;59(2):e02686-20.  PMID: 33330129

  23. Badarch, J, Harding J, Dickinson E, Azen C, Ong H, Hunter S, Pannaraj PS, Szepesi B, Sereenendorj T, Davaa S, Ochir C, Warburton D, Readhead C. The Impact of Winter Air Pollution on Conception and Fecundity in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Int J Environ Res Public Health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Mar 9;18(5):2750. PMID: 33803108

  24. Malhotra S*, Masood I, Giglio N, Pruetz JD, Pannaraj PS. Current knowledge of Chagas-related heart disease among pediatric cardiologists in the United States. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2021 Mar 2. PMID 33653275

  25. Fernandez L, Pannaraj PS, Rautava S, Rodriguez J. The Microbiotia of the Human Mammary Ecosystem. Frontiers Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020 Nov 20. PMID: 33330129

  26. Kordy K, Gaufin T, Mwangi M, Li F, Cerini C, Lee DJ, Adisetiyo H, Woodward C, Pannaraj PS, Tobin NH, Aldrovandi GM. Contributions to human breast milk microbiome and enteromammary transfer of Bifidobacterium breve. PLOS One PLoS One. 2020;15(1):e0219633. PMID: 31990909

  27. Mohandas S and Pannaraj PS. Beyond the bacterial microbiome: Virome of human milk and effects on the developing infant. Nestle Nutr Inst Workshop Ser 2020; 94:86-93. PMID: 32200373

  28. Thatrimontrichai A, Pannaraj PS, Janjindamai W, Dissaneevate S, Maneenil G, Apisarnthanarak A. Intervention to reduce carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a neonatal intensive care unit. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 2020. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 32131902

  29. Anderson EJ, DeVincenzo JP, Simoes EAF, Krilov LR, Forbes ML, Pannaraj PS, Espinosa CM, Williver RC, Wolkoff LI, Yogev R, Checchia PA, Domachowske JB, Halasa N, McBride SJ, Kumar VR, McLaurin KK, Rizzo CP, Ambrose CS. SENTINEL1: Two-Season Study of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalizations among U.S. Infants Born at 29 to 35 Weeks’ Gestational Age Not Receiving Immunoprophylaxis. Am J Perinatol. 2020 Mar;37(4):421-429. PMID: 30991438

  30. Pokrzywinski RM, Swett LL, Pannaraj PS, Yi J, Pavilack MS, Kumar VR, McLaurin KK, Leidy NK. Impact of RSV-Confirmed Hospitalizations on Caregivers of US Preterm Infants. Clin Pediatrics 2019 Jul;58(8):837-850. PMID: 31007050

  31. Bender JM, Li F, Purswani H, Capretz T, Cerini C, Zabih S, Hung L, Francis N, Chin S,  Pannaraj PS & Aldrovandi GM. Early exposure to antibiotics in the neonatal intensive care unit alters the taxonomic and functional infant gut microbiome, J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2019. [Epub ahead of print].

  32. Chaudhari PP, Monuteaux MC, Pannaraj PS, Khemani RG, Bachur RG. Age-Stratified Risk of Critical Illness in Young Children Presenting to the Emergency Department with Influenza. J Pediatr 2019 Dec;215:132-138.e2. PMID: 31561954

  33. Ho N, Li F, Lee-Sarwar K, Tun H, Brown B, Pannaraj P, Bender J, Azad M, Thompson A, Weiss S, Azcarate-Peril MA, Litonjua A, Kozyrskyj A, Jaspan H, Aldrovandi G, Kuhn L. Meta-analysis of effects of exclusive breastfeeding on infant gut microbiota across populations. Nature Communications. 2018; 9(1):4169. PMID: 30301893

  34. Pannaraj PS, Ly M, Cerini C, Saavedra M, Aldrovandi GM, Saboory A, Johnson K, Pride DT. Shared and distinct features of human milk and infant stool viromes. Frontiers Microbiol. 2018; 9:1162. PMID: 29910789

  35. Pannaraj, PS, Li F, Cerini C, Bender J, Yang S, Rollie A, Adisetiyo H, Zabih S, Lincez PJ, Bittinger K, Bailey A, Bushman FD, Sleasman DJ, Aldrovandi GM. Association Between Breast Milk Bacterial Communities and Establishment and Development of the Infant Gut Microbiome. JAMA Pediatr. 2017; 171(7):647-654. PMID: 28492938

bottom of page