A new study led by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) found that early-life exposure to antibiotics can impair an infant's developing immune system, and that a naturally occurring metabolite may hold the key to reversing that damage. 

Published in Cell, the study uncovered how antibiotic exposure during pregnancy and infancy may permanently weaken the immune system's ability to fight respiratory infections like the flu. By analyzing both mouse models and human infant lung tissue, the researchers discovered that early antibiotics disrupt the gut microbiome's ability to produce inosine, a molecule that serves as an important signal for developing immune cells. 

A multisite research team has issued ethical and policy recommendations for first-in-human clinical trials involving the transplantation of pig kidneys into humans. The first trial has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and could begin this year.