Perinatal Vaccination by Transamniotic Fetal mRNA Delivery: Immunization Against Human Cytomegalovirus in a Rodent Model

Gestational cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a prevalent disease with significant fetal and neonatal morbidity. MRNA vaccines have emerged as powerful options for postnatal immunization against infections. It has been shown that mRNA delivered into the amniotic fluid reaches the fetal circulation via the placenta. We investigated whether transamniotic mRNA delivery could be a viable strategy for perinatal CMV immunization, first utilizing a rodent model.