Funding News Edition: July 07, 2021 See more articles in this edition
Adjuvant researchers, find the latest NIAID vaccine adjuvant funding opportunities and relevant topics for the upcoming small business contract solicitation below; and, at the end of the article, learn about an important NIAID resource for querying adjuvant information.
As described in the NIAID Strategic Plan for Research on Vaccine Adjuvants, NIAID has an ongoing and significant interest in supporting new Vaccine Adjuvants. A recent example of how products from basic research projects quickly result in licensed vaccines is described in NIH’s June 29, 2021 news release “Adjuvant Developed With NIH Funding Enhances Efficacy of India’s COVID-19 Vaccine.”
Adjuvant Solicitations
NIAID offers the following two adjuvant broad agency announcement (BAA) contract solicitations.
Advancing Vaccine Adjuvant Research for Tuberculosis, proposals due August 10, 2021, at 3 p.m. EDT.
BAA funds will support a broad range of services for vaccine adjuvant testing of multiple adjuvants using Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) immunogens.
- The program has two main goals:
- Further the development of preventive, including post-exposure, tuberculosis (TB) vaccines through side-by-side comparisons of adjuvants in combination with Mtb immunogens.
- Establish immunological profiles of adjuvants that work through different mechanisms, facilitating the identification of the most promising adjuvant: Mtb immunogen candidates for clinical development and potential immune correlates of protection.
- Evaluations may include novel classes of adjuvants for other infections and immune-oncology
therapeutics, as well as adjuvants already under development for TB vaccines.
Adjuvant Comparison and Characterization, proposals due September 16, 2021, at 3 p.m. EDT.
BAA funds will support a research program that includes comparing multiple adjuvants using various vaccine or antigen platforms.
- Comparative studies will establish immunological profiles ("immune fingerprints") of adjuvants that work through different mechanisms to evaluate strength, quality, breadth, and durability of responses using:
- "-omics" technology platforms such as genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, RNAi screens, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, and glycomics.
- T cell functional assays, e.g., cytotoxicity, cytokine production, and epitope specificity.
- B cell and antibody profiles to include assessment of isotype, avidity, epitope fine-specificity, and systems serology.
The due dates for the BAAs above are current as of this article’s publication date. Check the links for the latest contact information and any amendments or updates.
Small Business Contract Topics
If you have a small business, take note. When NIH publishes the next R&D Contract Solicitation for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), it may include the following NIAID adjuvant-related topics from our January 2021 DAIT Council-Approved Concepts:
- Adjuvant Development for Vaccines and for Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases
- Adjuvant Discovery for Vaccines and for Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases
- Production of Adjuvants Mimics
Although NIAID’s Advisory Council approved the three topics above, approval does not guarantee publication. This newsletter will cover the SBIR contract solicitation in greater detail once it is published.
Vaccine Adjuvant Compendium (VAC): Resource for Vaccine Developers
Use NIAID’s VAC to identify suitable adjuvants and share your own adjuvant characteristics (metadata). Learn more in our May 19, 2021 article, “VAC—Resource To View and Submit Adjuvant Metadata.”
If you’d like to contribute information about your adjuvant or ask questions, contact DAITAdjuvantGrp@mail.nih.gov.