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Principal Investigator: PHILIP Louis FELGNER
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $33,116,067
Funding agency: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Project Summary/Abstract – Overall: The UCI Vaccines for Pandemic Preparedness Center (VPPC)
The Mission: "To contribute to human health and well-being by developing agile, safe, effective and
accessible vaccines that protect the vulnerable against future pathogens of pandemic importance and by
educating the next generation of vaccine scientists that will tackle such challenges.”
Joshua Lederberg envisioned the world as a battlefield between microbes and man, famously saying, “The
future of humanity and microbes likely will unfold as episodes of a suspense thriller that could be titled Our Wits
Versus Their Genes” (Lederberg, 2000). Although the genes of the microbial world have been evolving much
longer than our wits, we have come up with efficient ways to respond to infectious diseases, but regrettably
evolving microorganisms keep managing to challenge and outsmart us.
The latest COVID episode in this series sensitized the world again to the importance of learning from the
outbreak experience and challenges us to better prepare for the next one. The 100 Days Mission (100DM),
endorsed by government and non-government organizations worldwide is a proposed response to the next
“Disease X” by making safe, and effective vaccines available within 100 days of the pathogen’s identification.
Achieving that goal could defuse the threat of a pathogen with pandemic potential.
The International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariate (IPPS), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness
Innovations (CEPI), the HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR Next) and the
NIH/NIAID have embraced the concept of studying prototype pathogens as a critical element of preparedness.
By developing vaccines on rapid-response platforms against examples of a given viral genus or family,
researchers can address scientific challenges characteristic of that family in advance, providing an important
head start on developing vaccines against related threats. Universal programmable vaccine platforms that can
be rapidly employed against broad virus families can be evaluated in clinical trials to provide confidence in their
safety, and manufacturing, and regulatory considerations can be managed ahead of the next outbreak.
The UC Irvine Vaccines for Pandemic Preparedness Center (VPPC) aims to conduct basic and translational
research to develop vaccines against prototype members of the Bunyavirus, Paramyxovirus and Picornavirus
families with demonstrated immunogenicity and efficacy in animal models. Two universal, programmable, rapid
response vaccine platforms will be characterized and compared in this study: the i) Adjuvanted Recombinant
Protein (ARP) Vaccine, and ii) mRNA/Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) Vaccine. Such prototype vaccines will need to
be tested in advance, at a minimum, for clinical safety and immunogenicity, and efficacy where possible, so that
emerging viruses in the same family can be rapidly and safely deployed. Gathering such data and experience
will build confidence in these rapid response platforms and inform regulators as they make decisions about the
emergency authorization of vaccines against related pathogens.
Terms: <Address><Adherence><Adjuvant><Animal Model><Animal Models and Related Studies><Animals><Antibodies><Antigens><Assay><Authorization><Authorization documentation><Basic Research><Basic Science><Bioassay><Biological Assay><Bunyavirales><Bunyavirus><COVID-19><CV-19><Clinic><Clinical><Clinical Treatment Moab><Clinical Trials><Collaborations><Collection><Communicable Diseases><Computer software><Continuous Quality Management><Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019><Data><Decision Making><Disease><Disease Outbreaks><Disorder><ELISA><Elements><Emergencies><Emergency Situation><Emerging Communicable Diseases><Emerging Infectious Diseases><Ensure><Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay><Family><Family Characteristics><Family Picornaviridae><Future><Genes><Goals><Government><Head Start><Head Start Program><Health><Healthcare><Human><Humanities><Immune response><Immunological response><Infection><Infectious Disease Pathway><Infectious Diseases><Infectious Disorder><International><Investigators><Knowledge><Learning><Lipids><Machine Learning><Manufacturer><Medicine><Microbe><Mission><Modeling><Modern Man><Monitor><Monoclonal Antibodies><Movement><NIAID><NIH><National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease><National Institutes of Health><Organoids><Orthobunyavirus><Outbreaks><Outcome><Paramyxoviridae><Paramyxovirus><Pathway interactions><Pennsylvania><Permission><Personal Satisfaction><Pharmaceutical Agent><Pharmaceuticals><Pharmacologic Substance><Pharmacological Substance><Phase><Picornaviridae><Picornaviruses><Preparedness><Primates><Primates Mammals><Process><Protein Biochips><Protein Chips><Protein Microarray><Protein Microchips><Proteins><RNA vaccine><RNA-based vaccine><Readiness><Reagent><Recombinant Proteins><Recombinants><Research Personnel><Researchers><Resource Sharing><Rodent><Rodentia><Rodents Mammals><Safety><Science><Scientist><Screening procedure><Sentinel><Series><Software><Solid><System><Technology><Testing><Total Quality Management><Translational Research><Translational Science><United States National Institutes of Health><Universities><Vaccine Adjuvant><Vaccines><Viral><Viral Gene Products><Viral Gene Proteins><Viral Proteins><Virginia><Virus><Wit><access to vaccination><access to vaccines><adaptive immunity><body movement><clinical development><cohort><college><collegiate><comparative><coronavirus disease 2019><coronavirus disease-19><coronavirus infectious disease-19><deploy vaccines><develop a vaccine><develop vaccines><development of a vaccine><discover vaccines><distribute vaccines><emergent virus><emerging pathogen><emerging virus><enzyme linked immunoassay><epidemic planning><epidemic preparedness><experience><future outbreak><future pandemic><global health><health care><host response><human mortality><imager><immune response to vaccination><immune response to vaccines><immune system response><immunogen><immunogenicity><immunoresponse><industrial partnership><industry partner><industry partnership><innovate><innovation><innovative><lipid based nanoparticle><lipid nanoparticle><mAbs><mRNA lipid nano particle vaccine><mRNA vaccine><mRNA-LNP based vaccine><mRNA-LNP combination vaccines><mRNA-LNP vaccines><mRNA-based vaccine><machine based learning><man><manufacture><member><microbial><microorganism><model of animal><monoclonal Abs><new pathogen><new vaccines><next generation vaccines><next outbreak><next pandemic><non-human primate><nonhuman primate><novel pathogen><novel vaccines><outbreak concern><outbreak forecasting><outbreak in the future><outbreak potential><outbreak prediction><outbreak risk><outbreak threat><pandemic concern><pandemic disease preparedness><pandemic pathogen><pandemic planning><pandemic potential><pandemic preparedness><pandemic readiness><pandemic risk><pandemic threat><pathogen><pathway><pharmaceutical><pre-clinical research><preclinical research><prototype><response><screening tools><serology surveillance><serosurveillance><timeline><tool><translation research><translational investigation><vaccination access><vaccination availability><vaccine access><vaccine associated immune response><vaccine availability><vaccine deployment><vaccine development><vaccine discovery><vaccine distribution><vaccine efficacy><vaccine immune response><vaccine immunogenicity><vaccine induced immune response><vaccine platform><vaccine response><vaccine responsiveness><vaccine roll-out><vaccine rollout><vaccine-induced response><viral emergence><virus protein><well-being><wellbeing>