IDCRC Newsletter: January 2025

IDCRC Investigator Profile: Wilbur H. Chen, MD

Wilbur H. Chen, MD, is an adult infectious disease physician-scientist with a specific interest in developing vaccines. Dr. Chen is an active investigator within the University of Maryland's Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU), and he currently serves as the protocol chair of a Phase 3 study of a pentavalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenFive).

"The IDCRC’s importance is that the network of scientists across the multiple institutions are able to collectively tackle critical public health problems as they arise." Dr. Chen went on to also share that, "Early in 2009, when the pandemic H1N1 virus emerged, the VTEUs quickly conducted the national pandemic vaccine studies, which were critical for the rollout of the national vaccination campaigns. Therefore, it should be no surprise that the IDCRC was a key partner in the response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic second publication of the two-year durability of the immune responses is intended."

VIEW PROFILE

Announcing the 2024-2025 IDCRC Pilot Award Recipients

Congratulations to our new Pilot Award recipients! We are thrilled to welcome the following researchers to this program. The Pilot Grants program provides one year of funding to support research projects and career development activities that will enhance the applicant’s ability to compete successfully for an independent R- or K-series award. The projects can address a variety of topics, including vaccinology, therapeutics, laboratory studies, and statistics.

Tara (Tia) Babu, MD, MSCI
Assistant Professor, University of Washington

Project title: Evaluating Correlates of Diversity for Clinical Trials

Daniel Gromer, MD,
Assistant Professor, Emory University

Project title: The Immunogenicity-Reactogenicity Relationship Among Pandemic Influenza Vaccines

LEARN ABOUT OUR PILOT AWARD PROGRAM

Annual Meeting

Call for Nominations: 2025 Annual IDCRC Awards

The IDCRC presents annual awards to acknowledge the work of VTEU members who have made exceptional contributions to the IDCRC and VTEU missions. Nominations can be made by any IDCRC LG or VTEU member.

All nominations must be received by Friday, February 21, 2025. Awards will be presented at the IDCRC Reception during the 2025 IDCRC Annual Meeting.

Award Nomination Categories:

Investigator of the Year
Early Career Investigator
Staff STAR (Stellar Team Member Achieving Results) Award
Best Scientific Publication of the Year
Leadership Group Award

SUBMIT NOMINATIONS HERE

VIEW 2024 AWARD WINNERS

Call for Submissions: Annual Meeting Poster Session

The Annual Meeting poster session is an excellent opportunity to share research within the IDCRC network in an interactive setting. The meeting program is currently under development, and the specific date and time for poster discussion is to be determined.

Posters may be submitted by any IDCRC VTEU member or IDCRC mentee, covering any of the pathogens/diseases, listed here.

We ask that all presenters receive approval from their VTEU PI prior to submission.

If you would like to submit a poster, please complete the online form linked below by Friday, February 28.

SUBMIT POSTERS HERE

Save the Date: 2025 IDCRC Annual Meeting

Date: April 30-May 1, 2025
Location: NIAID Fishers Lane Building
5601 Fishers Lane,
Rockville, MD, 20892

The meeting program is currently under development—stay tuned for more information!

ANNUAL MEETING WEBPAGE

Publications

NOTE: Please include the following citation in any publications resulting from direct or indirect IDCRC support:

"Supported by the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium through the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, under award number UM1AI148684. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health."

View recent publications below:

VIEW PUBLICATIONS WEBPAGE

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

NIAID Event

Challenges and Approaches to Advancing COVID-19 Antiviral Drug Candidates with Increasing Population Immunity
Thursday, February 13 | 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Virtual

Objective: To review endpoints and outcomes from COVID-19 outpatient therapeutics clinical trials and to identify potential endpoints for use in outpatient therapeutics COVID-19 trials in the current setting of host immunity to infection. The findings of the meeting will be summarized in a published meeting report.

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

Training Opportunity

Call for Applications: Emory Vaccinology Training Program

The Emory Vaccinology Training Program (VTP) was created in response to an urgent need to train a new generation of researchers in the field of vaccinology.

The training objectives and goals of this program include:

To continue implementing our systematic approach for identifying, recruiting, and retaining highly qualified, motivated, and diverse postdoctoral trainees into the VTP-T32.
To provide each trainee with a rigorous and tailored curriculum covering key aspects of vaccinology, a robust hands-on mentored research project, and career mentoring.
To expand our integration of the strong basic science, translational research, implementation science, clinical trials, and vaccine policy programs at Emory into a multi-faceted training experience and inclusive environment promoting collaborations and interdisciplinary approaches.

Candidates outside of Emory are welcome to apply. Applications are due by Monday, March 31, 2025.

LEARN MORE & APPLY

News

University of Washington study aims to spot the next pandemic before it spreads

University of Washington researchers say they want to be better prepared for the next pandemic, and are launching a multiyear study that could provide advance warning of disease outbreaks. The Seattle Pandemic Preparedness Cohort study, or SeaPrep, is designed to give a real-time snapshot of which respiratory viruses are out there and how they are evolving and spreading.

The new research builds on a previous project that Dr. Helen Chu spearheaded, the Seattle Flu Study, which played a pivotal role in spotting the last pandemic. In 2020, samples collected in that study revealed the first documented community spread of COVID-19 in the United States. Chu said that only happened because the flu study was already up and running.

“These types of studies can't be things that you stand up during a pandemic. They have to be stood up beforehand,” Chu said. “You have this entire infrastructure, which takes six months to a year to build, in place so you can analyze the data in real-time and disseminate the results.”

READ FULL ARTICLE

Carlos del Rio, MD, featured in South Florida PBS Town Hall:
Viruses & Vaccines: Breaking the Chain of Infection

Emory VTEU PI, Carlos del Rio, MD, is featured in this in-depth discussion on the viruses and vaccines that dominate the winter season. This expert panel uncovered the science behind seasonal illnesses like the flu, RSV, and COVID-19, and provided updates on emerging infectious diseases such as mpox and bird flu.

Job Postings

Infectious Diseases Research Job Openings

Visit the IDSA Career Center to browse other ID/HIV Medicine job postings.

Funding Opportunities

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Halting Tuberculosis (TB) Transmission – Due March 13, 2025; 2026
The purpose of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to highlight NIAID’s interest in accepting applications that aim to understand the critical drivers of Tuberculosis (TB) transmission at the individual and population levels in high-burden settings. Applicants are encouraged to develop effective methods to measure rates of TB transmission that rely on an increased understanding of the biomedical basis of transmission and related risk factors and to develop and assess potential interventions, including low-cost and low-tech options, to prevent TB transmission.

International Research in Infectious Diseases (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) – Due August 2, 2025
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support applications for high-priority, regionally relevant infectious diseases research by international investigators in resource-constrained countries. Applicant organizations must be headquartered in foreign (non-U.S.) resource-constrained countries (i.e. low-income economies, lower-middle-income economies, and upper-middle-income economies by World Bank Classification). Applicant organizations headquartered in low- and lower-middle income economy countries are particularly encouraged to apply. Eligibility status of applicant organizations will be determined by the World Bank Classification list at the time of application submission.

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Complement in Fundamental Immunology – Due January 8, 2026
The main objective of this program is to support studies that accelerate our understanding of the roles of complement components and/or receptors in the initiation, magnitude, maintenance, and quality of immune responses involved in pathogenic infections, vaccination, post-infection sequelae, autoimmunity, allergy, or transplantation. The results of such studies will inform the development of vaccines or therapeutics that target complement components. The work to be encouraged includes studies of the roles of complement components (molecules and/or receptors) during immune responses.

Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program (D43 Clinical Trial Optional) –Due August 7, 2026
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages joint applications for the Global Infectious Disease (GID) Research Training programs from low- and middle-income country (LMIC) and U.S. institutions. The application should propose a collaborative training program that will strengthen the capacity of a LMIC institution to conduct infectious disease research (not including HIV/AIDS).

Advancing Research Needed to Develop a Coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever) Vaccine –Due January 15, 2026
The purpose of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to highlight NIAID’s interest in supporting research in the areas outlined in the NIAID Strategic Plan For Research To Develop A Valley Fever Vaccine. The proposed research should have clear relevance to the strategic priorities defined in the strategic plan, which encompasses three major research areas: 1) address gaps in Coccidioides basic research to support the development of a vaccine; 2) develop tools and resources to support vaccine development; 3) develop and advance vaccines to prevent coccidioidomycosis.

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Using Targeted Degradation of Protein and non-Protein Targets for the Development of Novel Anti-Infectives – Due July 17, 2026
The purpose of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to invite applications for research on the use of targeted protein and nonprotein degradation (e.g., RNA) as it relates to the development of anti-infective strategies against viral, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal pathogens and/or their toxins (e.g., Lethal and Edema Toxins of Bacillus anthracis). Both novel monofunctional (e.g., Molecular Glues) and hetero-bi/tri-functional (e.g., PROTAC or PROTAC-like) strategies will be considered.

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Research to Stimulate Development of Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Vaccines for Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) – Due April 6, 2027
This notice of special interest (NOSI) encourages applications which are focused on development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines for herpes simplex virus (HSV). In September 2023, the NIH released the NIH Strategic Plan for HSV Research. The strategic plan focuses on four strategic priorities: HSV virology basic research, better HSV diagnostics, strategies to address HSV treatment and cure, and research to prevent HSV infection. This NOSI focuses on furthering the development of new products for prevention of HSV infection, as well as improving the diagnosis and treatment of patients living with herpes, addressing three of these four strategic priorities.

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Systems Modeling of Infection and Immunity Across Biological Scales – Due September 8, 2027
The purpose of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to announce that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is encouraging applications to advance research activities relevant to systems modeling of infection and immunity. Recipients will collaborate with the Center of Excellence (CoE) for Systems Modeling of Infection and Immunity across Biological Scales (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) described in RFA-AI-23-077. The CoE will coordinate the program, working with NIAID, and set up collaborations with recipients to participate in CoE activities.

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Advancing Research Needed to Develop a Universal Influenza Vaccine – Due November 17, 2027
The objective of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to support research that contributes to the areas of interest outlined in NIAID’s Strategic Plan for the Development of a Universal Influenza Vaccine. The proposed research should have clear relevance to the research objectives defined in the strategic plan, which encompasses three major research areas: Improve understanding of transmission, natural history and pathogenesis of influenza virus infection; characterize influenza immunity and correlates of immune protection; and support rational design of universal influenza vaccines.

IDCRC Studies

Active Studies
Recruiting Volunteers

A Prospective, Randomized, Open-label Phase 4 Study of the Immunology and Safety of Maternal RSV Vaccination (ABRYSVOTM), Infant Nirsevimab (BEYFORTUSTM) Immunization, or Both Products During the First Year of Life (PROMISE) (DMID 24-0003)
A prospective, quasi-interventional study of the safety and serology of maternal RSVpreF (ABRYSVO) vs. infant nirsevimab (BEYFORTUS) vs. administration of both products in infants during the first year of life
A Phase 4 Study of a 3-Day vs. 7-Day Regimen of Doxycycline for the Treatment of Chlamydial Infection (DMID 22-0019)
A Phase 1, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Study to
Assess the Safety and Pharmacokinetics of a Single Ascending Dose of
EV-D68-228 in Healthy Adult Volunteers (DMID 23-0005)

Fully Enrolled Studies
in Follow-up

Trial to Evaluate the Immunogenicity of Dose Reduction Strategies of the MVA-BN Monkeypox Vaccine
Meningococcal Serogroup ACYWX Conjugate Vaccine in Comparison With MenACWY-TT Conjugate Vaccine (DMID 20-0024)
Safety and Immunogenicity of CJCV2 With and Without ALFQ (DMID 19-0003)
Pharmacokinetic Study of IV Artesunate to Treat Children With Severe Malaria (DMID 19-0007)