IDCRC Newsletter: November 2024

IDCRC Admin Profile: Kellei Johnstone

During this time of reflection, we would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our IDCRC members and partners for their unwavering commitment and dedication to our mission and work. We are grateful for everything you do and wish you a joyous and safe holiday.

Share your news with the IDCRC!

We want to hear from you! Contact us at idcrc@emory.edu for a chance to be highlighted in a future newsletter and on our website.

Events

Register for the Annual FDA Clinical Investigator Training Course

Save the Date: 2025 IDCRC Annual Meeting

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

News

It’s Safe to Give COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccines Together

The findings, published Nov. 6, 2024, in JAMA Network Open, support the option of getting influenza and COVID-19 vaccines together, making it easier to protect oneself against both of these respiratory viruses during the winter months.

Elizabeth Schlaudecker, MD, MPH, and Mary Allen Staat, MD, MPH, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children’s collaborated on the study with colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and two other CDC-sponsored Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment Project sites, Duke University and Johns Hopkins University.

IDCRC members recognized during Emory University
School of Medicine's Celebration of Faculty Eminence

Last month, Emory University School of Medicine's hosted their Celebration of Faculty Eminence, recognizing faculty accomplishments and excellence in patient care, research, education, and innovation. Congratulations to the former and current IDCRC members who were recognized!

MilliPub Club:
The following IDCRC members were recognized as MiliPub Club members. They have published one or more individual papers throughout their careers that have each garnered more than 1,000 citations. Such a paper is commonly considered a “citation classic” and represents high-impact scholarship. Read more.

• Varun Phadke, MD: Safety and Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 Vaccine in Older Adults 
• Paulina Rebolledo, MD, MSc: More than 50 long-term effects of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis 

• Christina Rostad, MD: Safety and Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 Vaccine in Older Adults 

• Nadine Rouphael, MD, MSc: Safety and Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 Vaccine in Older Adults 

Job Postings

 Infectious Diseases Research Job Openings

• Boston Medical Center: Post Doctoral Research Fellow  *New*
• Broad Institute: Scientific Program Manager, Infectious Disease  *New*
• Georgia Southern University - Associate Professor or Professor and Director of the Center for Vector-borne Infectious Disease Research (VIDR)  *New*
• Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute: Assistant, Associate/Senior Scientific Investigator, Vaccines & Infectious Disease
• New York Blood Center - Center for Infectious Disease and Immunopathologies Faculty Positions  
• Rush University Medical Center - Post Doctoral Research Fellow - IM Epidemiology   
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Fellowships and Training Opportunities  

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

Funding Opportunities

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Advancing Research Needed to Develop a Universal Influenza Vaccine – Due January 8, 2025
The purpose of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to support research that contributes to the areas of interest outlined in “A Universal Influenza Vaccine: The Strategic Plan for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.” 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
• Support rational design of universal influenza vaccines

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Competitive Revision Supplements to Existing T32 Programs to Include Institutional Research Training in Data Science for Infectious and Immune Mediated Diseases – Due January 8, 2025
This Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) solicits competitive revision applications from existing T32 recipients to support additional training slots within the NIAID Data Science Training Program (NDSTP) for pre-doctoral data science training. Applications must propose a data science training program that will include research and mentoring opportunities, as well as coursework for pre-doctoral biomedical trainees. Through this NOSI, applicants may increase the number of training slots beyond the T32 maximum allowed; the training slots proposed via this NOSI must support trainees pursuing a data science curriculum. It is anticipated that an application will propose 2-3 additional data science training slots and 3-4 awards are expected.

Centers for Accelerating Phage (Bacteriophage) Therapy to Combat ESKAPE Pathogens (CAPT-CEP) (P01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)  – Due January 29, 2025
The goal of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to establish Centers for Accelerating Phage Therapy to combat ESKAPE pathogens (CAPT-CEPs). The CAPT-CEPs will be dedicated to developing preclinical assays, tools, and models and conducting essential studies that facilitate robust phage therapeutics against ESKAPE pathogens, ultimately preparing therapeutic candidates for future clinical studies. Applications are expected to include translational research projects covering multidisciplinary sciences. These projects aim to fill the gaps in phage therapeutics research and development (R&D), contributing significantly to the fight against antibiotic resistance (AR).

Discovery and Development of Novel Therapeutics for Select Fungal Pathogens (R21/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) – Due January 29, 2025
The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to support milestone-driven, early-stage translational research focused on drug discovery and development of novel therapeutics against select fungal pathogens including: Candida species, specifically Candida auris; Aspergillus fumigatus; Coccidioides; and Mucorales. This NOFO will use a milestone-driven, biphasic award mechanism. Transition to the R33 phase will depend on the successful completion of specific milestones during the R21 phase. 

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.

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Please submit IDCRC news to idcrc@emory.edu for inclusion in the monthly newsletter and IDCRC.org.