U19AI181881

Machine learning-enabled design of prototype pathogen vaccines and antibodies - project summary – overall: Machine learning-enabled design of prototype pathogen vaccines and antibodies.

We propose a highly synergistic center focused on developing end-to-end strategies for pandemic preparedness vaccine development for Bunyaviruses and Paramyxoviruses.

Our center brings together five research institutions with complementary and synergistic expertise in computational protein design, structure-based vaccine design, mRNA vaccines, structural biology, viral entry, viral diversity and evolution, animal model development, high biosafety-level containment virology, vaccinology, and vaccine process development and technology transfer.

Our team has real-world experience in vaccine and biologics product development in both academic and industry settings.

Our center comprises five scientific projects supported by three scientific cores, an administrative core, and a data management core.

Our scientific projects include: 1) Development of computational methods for vaccine and biologics design, 2) Fundamental research on viral entry and receptors, 3) Antigen design, 4) Protein nanoparticle vaccine development, and 5) mRNA vaccine development.

We will structure our efforts in two phases: In phase 1 (years 1-3) we will focus on developing vaccines for our prototype pathogens and in phase 2 (years 4-5) we will apply those learnings to two new Bunyaviruses and two new Paramyxoviruses to demonstrate that our computational and experimental approaches generalize across viral families.

Our prototype pathogens are: Lassa virus (LASV; Arenaviruses), Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV; Phenuiviruses), and Hendra virus (HEV; Paramyxoviruses).

We carefully selected our prototypes as we believe they present specific vaccine design challenges which, if we are successful in solving, will facilitate the development of vaccines against related viruses.

Simultaneously, the antigens from viruses in these three families have some similarities that will give rise to synergies in our design approaches.

The structure of our center will allow maximal synergy between our groups in pursuit of its central output: to define generalizable approaches and tools to develop vaccines and biologics for emerging pathogens with pandemic potential.

University Of Washington

TO ASSIST PUBLIC AND PRIVATE NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO ESTABLISH, EXPAND AND IMPROVE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND RELATED AREAS, TO CONDUCT DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH, TO PRODUCE AND TEST RESEARCH MATERIALS. TO ASSIST PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO CONDUCT DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH, TO PRODUCE AND TEST RESEARCH MATERIALS, TO PROVIDE RESEARCH SERVICES AS REQUIRED BY THE AGENCY FOR PROGRAMS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES, AND CONTROLLING DISEASE CAUSED BY INFECTIOUS OR PARASITIC AGENTS, ALLERGIC AND IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASES AND RELATED AREAS. PROJECTS RANGE FROM STUDIES OF MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND ANTIGENIC STRUCTURE TO COLLABORATIVE TRIALS OF EXPERIMENTAL DRUGS AND VACCINES, MECHANISMS OF RESISTANCE TO ANTIBIOTICS AS WELL AS RESEARCH DEALING WITH EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS OR COMMUNITY POPULATIONS AND PROGRESS IN ALLERGIC AND IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASES. BECAUSE OF THIS DUAL FOCUS, THE PROGRAM ENCOMPASSES BOTH BASIC RESEARCH AND CLINICAL RESEARCH. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM EXPANDS AND IMPROVES PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH. THE SBIR PROGRAM INTENDS TO INCREASE AND FACILITATE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. THE SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM STIMULATES AND FOSTERS SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. RESEARCH CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTISTS DURING THE FORMATIVE STAGES OF THEIR CAREERS. INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS (NRSAS) ARE MADE DIRECTLY TO APPROVE APPLICANTS FOR RESEARCH TRAINING IN SPECIFIED BIOMEDICAL SHORTAGE AREAS. IN ADDITION, INSTITUTIONAL NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS ARE MADE TO ENABLE INSTITUTIONS TO SELECT AND MAKE AWARDS TO INDIVIDUALS TO RECEIVE TRAINING UNDER THE AEGIS OF THEIR INSTITUTIONAL PROGRAM.

93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) [HHS - NIH]

Seattle, Washington 981951016 United States

Single Zip Code

Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness (ReVAMPP) Centers for Bunyavirales, Paramyxoviridae and Picornaviridae (U19 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-AI-23-020)