IDCRC Newsletter: December 2022

Season’s Greetings from the IDCRC

We sincerely thank you for all of your efforts and dedication this year. Best wishes to you and your loved ones for a joyous and safe holiday season and a happy new year.

IDCRC Leader Profile: Kathy Edwards, MD

Dr. Edwards is a professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and the Sarah H. Sell and Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair and scientific director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program. She is also the IDCRC Leadership Group Mentoring and Career Development Committee Chair.

Dr. Edwards will be retiring from Vanderbilt at the end of 2022. We thank her for her dedication and commitment to the IDCRC. The IDCRC team wishes her all the best in her future endeavors.

“Dr. Edwards’ impact on the field of Vaccinology and the health of populations is irrefutable. What I will remember most, however, is her ability to equip and empower others to be exceptional scientists and leaders – and to show us how much fun a career in science can be,” says Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, Myron M. Levine Professor in Vaccinology, professor of medicine and pediatrics, director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and IDCRC PI.

Training

Mentee Profile: Chase Cannon, MD

Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases, University of Washington

Dr. Cannon's research focuses on maximizing the utility of existing syphilis diagnostic tests and evaluating the clinical use of newer molecular tests for syphilis from serum, urine and other anatomic sites.

IDCRC Training

NIH Grants Conference for Early Career Scientists

NIH Grants Conference, February 1-2, 2023

Event

Join us for the 2023 IDCRC Annual Meeting

Date: April 25-26, 2023
Location: In-person
NIH Main Campus
Bldg. 35A
Rockville, MD
*Virtual components will be incorporated*

News

No, bivalent booster side effects are not different from previous COVID shots

“We're comparing this side effect profile to the very serious consequences of COVID-19,” said Dr. Laurens. “So no question, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks of COVID-19. Having said that, there is substantial variation in individuals in terms of their side effects that they would experience from any shot.”

Sources: Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Dr. Matthew Laurens, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at University of Maryland School of Medicine; The CDC; The FDA

READ ARTICLE

Experimental HIV vaccine shows huge success in Phase 1 human trials

An experimental HIV vaccine has shown groundbreaking results during a Phase 1 trials. Researchers from Scripps Research, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, the National Institutes of Health, and other institutions in the US and Sweden have seen tremendous success during a vaccine trial.

Co-director of the Center for AIDS Research at Emory University and executive associate dean for Emory School of Medicine at Grady Health System, Carlos del Rio, told the outlet that although the vaccine is a while off, the results are ‘exciting’. He said: “We know that broadly neutralizing antibodies are a potentially effective strategy to prevent HIV. We’re far from using this as a vaccine, but this is very exciting science. … Investing in this kind of research is critically important in not only developing a vaccine for HIV, but if this strategy works, it can be used for other vaccines.”

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Beyond Babies, RSV Infections Put Older People at Risk, Too

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) “season” this year is notable for a number of reasons, including the relatively early and large spike in cases that is challenging the capacity of children’s hospitals nationwide.

But the spotlight on pediatric cases is overshadowing how this virus also raises risk for people 65 and older. RSV in older Americans “remains under-recognized by both physicians and especially the public,” says Ann R. Falsey, MD, a professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in New York.

READ ARTICLE

Job Postings

Visit the IDSA Career Center to browse over 200 ID/HIV Medicine job postings.

Funding Opportunities

NIH Funding Opportunities Specific to COVID-19
This page contains a listing of active and expired funding opportunities.

Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI): RNA vaccine platform technologies and vaccine library development against emerging and select endemic infectious diseases – Focus area 2 - Due December 30
The purpose of this FOA is to accelerate the early development of novel RNA vaccine platform technologies based on potentially high-impact innovations that could facilitate rapid response to future pathogens of epidemic and pandemic threat, and/or increase access for diverse populations and geographies.

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Opportunities for HIV Cure Interventions at the Time of ART Initiation – Due January 7
The purpose of this NOSI is to identify new opportunities for cure interventions administered during active HIV infection at or near the start of antiretroviral therapy (ART) or as a potential replacement for conventional ART, with the ultimate goal of achieving a sustained ART-free HIV remission.

HIV/AIDS Scholars Using Nonhuman Primate (NHP) Models Program (K01 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) – Due Friday, January 6; Friday, May 5; Thursday, September 7, 2023; 2024; 2025
The purpose of this NIH Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) is to provide salary and research support to investigators who are within ten years of completing their terminal professional degree or residency training.

Development of Animal Models and Related Materials for HIV/AIDS Research (R24 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) – Due Friday, January 6, 2023; 2024; 2025
The purpose of this FOA is to encourage grant applications aimed at developing, characterizing, or improving animal models for HIV/AIDS research or for improving access to information about, or generated from, the use of these specialized animal models for such research.

NIAID Resource-Related Research Projects (R24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) –
Due 30 days prior (LOI); January 25; May 25; September 25, 2023; 2024; 2025 (Full application)
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to propose resources that provide significant benefit to currently funded high priority projects in need of further coordination and support in the areas specified. Under rare circumstances, this mechanism may be used to support development of a new resource to the broader scientific community of the NIAID.

Catalyst Award for Early-Stage Investigators (ESIs) Pursuing Research on HIV Comorbidities, Coinfections, and Complications (DP1- Clinical Trial Optional) – Due 30 days prior (LOI); May 1, 2023; 2024; 2025
The purpose of this FOA is to support research from creative early-stage investigators who propose highly innovative, pioneering studies with potential to open new areas of HIV/AIDS research related to coinfections, comorbidities, and complications.

IDCRC Studies

Active Studies
Recruiting Volunteers

A Phase 2 Randomized, Open-Label, Multisite Trial to Evaluate the Immunogenicity of Dose Reduction Strategies of the MVA-BN Vaccine
Heterologous Prime Boost, Mix and Match Study
Mucosal immunity against GC after 4CMenB Vaccination
COVID-19 Variant Immunologic Landscape Trial (COVAIL Trial)
Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity Study of Sm-p80 + GLA-SE (SchistoShield(R)) Vaccine in Healthy Adults
Safety and Immunogenicity of CJCV2 With and Without ALFQ

Fully Enrolled Studies
in Follow-up

Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine, The COVE Study™
Moderna’s mRNA-1273.351 Variant vaccine
Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine, the KidCOVE Study
AstraZeneca Study of AZD1222
The ENSEMBLE Study with Janssen’s Ad26.COV2.S Investigational Vaccine
Novavax Study of NVX-CoV2373
Regeneron’s 10933 and 10987 Monoclonal Antibodies, the REGN-COV2 Study
Eli Lilly’s LY3819253 Antibody, the BLAZE-2 Study
SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 PREVALENCE STUDY, The COMPASS Study
SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines in Pregnancy and Postpartum, the MOMI-VAX Study
Meningococcal Serogroup ACYWX Conjugate Vaccine in Comparison With MenACWY-TT Conjugate Vaccine
Gritstone Second Generation COVID-19 Vaccine, CORAL Program