NIH Grants Create Pandemic Preparedness Research Network

Press release

Saturday September 13, 2024

Scientists will focus on pathogens most likely to pose a threat to human health.

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ReVAMPP will fund research into monoclonal antibodies and vaccines for many viruses, including those shown in this image: yellow fever virus (hantavirus), Nipah virus, Picorna virus, and Chikungunya. NIAID

The National Institutes of Health has established a Pandemic Preparedness Research Network to research high-priority pathogens that are most likely to threaten human health with the goal of developing effective vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has established a Pandemic Preparedness Research Network to conduct research on high-priority pathogens that are most likely to threaten human health with the goal of developing effective vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. The NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases plans to spend about $100 million per year to fund this program.

You can also learn more about the following: Research and development of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies within the framework of the pandemic preparedness networkReVAMPP, the project’s name, will focus on research on “prototype” viruses, viruses that are representative of families known to infect humans and high-priority pathogens that have the potential to cause fatal disease. Scientists will build a knowledge base by studying prototype viruses that can be used to study other similar viruses. NIAID’s work on Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has been key to developing effective and safe treatments and vaccines. The ReVAMPP network will study viruses that are part of families of viruses that have caused human disease for millennia. Many of these have the potential to become pandemics in the future.

The need for a robust preparedness plan is evident in the wake of COVID-19 and ongoing outbreaks, said NIAID Director Jeanne M. Marrazzo, MD. The ReVAMPP network will enable researchers to identify key knowledge gaps and develop strategies to develop safe and effective countermeasures against targeted virus families.

The ReVAMPP network will focus on viruses that originate within families.

• Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever Lassa fever
• Flaviviridae includes viruses that cause Dengue fever You can also learn more about the following: Yellow fever
• Paramyxoviridae is a family of viruses that includes those that cause Measles, MumpsNipah virus-induced cerebral encephalitis
• Picornaviridae are a family of viruses that cause polio. Foot and mouth diseaseMyocarditis is a serious disease that can be fatal.
• Togaviridae is a family of viruses that includes those that cause inflammation. Chikungunya Venezuelan equine encephalitis, a virus that causes encephalitis or arthralgia

ReVAMPP will focus on the development of monoclonal antibodies and vaccine candidates to prepare for an effective and more rapid response to a pandemic, should any of these virus families become a global threat.

The Research Triangle Institute in Durham, North Carolina, will act as a central data coordinating and sharing center and will support and coordinate the network. Standardizing the experimental design will allow the ReVAMPP network of research centers to more easily share results and work together to improve ReVAMPP efforts.

Here are the winners:

Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City
The title of the project is: PREPOSITIONING OF OPTIMIZED STRATEGIES FOR VACCINES AND IMMUNOTHERAPY AGAINST VARIOUS EVADING INFECTIOUS THREATS:
Principal Investigator: Kartik Chandran, Ph.D.
Grant: 1 U19 AI181977-01

Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
The project title is: Data Coordination and Sharing Center – Vaccine and Antibody R&D for Pandemic Preparedness.
Gregory D. Sempowski Ph.D.
Grant: 1 UG3 AI181797-01

University of California, Irvine
UCI Pandemic Preparedness Center (VPPC).
Louis Philip Felgner Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Grant: 1 U19 AI181968-01

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
The title of the project is Paramyxoviridae Vaccines & Antibodies Centre (PABVAX).
Principal Investigator: Thomas William Geisbert, Ph.D.
Grant: 1 U19 AI181930-01

University of Washington in Seattle
Project Title: Designing Vaccines Against Pathogens Using Machine Learning
Principal Investigator: Neil King, Ph.D.
Grant: 1 U19 AI181881-01

Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee
The title of the project is Bunyavirus Pandemic Pathogen Preparedness Center (BP4)
Principal Investigator: James E. Crowe, Jr., MD
Grant: 1 U19 AI181979-01

Washington University in St. Louis
Flavivirus Alphavirus ReVAMPP Project (FLARE).
Principal Investigator: Michael S. Diamond, MD, Ph.D.
Grant: 1 U19 AI181960-01

Washington University in St. Louis
The title of the project is: Vaccines, Therapeutic Antibodies and Respiro-Rubia-Peribunya and Phenuiviridae ReVAMPP
Principal Investigator: Sean PJ Whelan, Ph.D.
Grant: 1 U19 AI181984-01

NIAID supports and conducts research at NIH, in the United States, and around the world to study and develop new methods for diagnosing, preventing, and treating infectious and immune-mediated diseases. On the NIAID website, you can find news releases, fact sheets, and other NIAID materials. NIAID website.

The National Institutes of Health: The NIH is the medical research agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It includes 27 institutes and centers. The NIH, the nation's medical research agency, is the primary federal agency that conducts and supports basic, translational, clinical, and other types of medical research. It also studies the causes, treatment, and cures of common and rare diseases. Visit the NIH for more information about its programs and services. www.nih.gov.

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