IDCRC Newsletter: April 2023

Spotlight: Recent IDCRC Site Visits

Annually, the IDCRC leadership team visits Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEU) across the country to allow the opportunity to collaborate and network with one another. On February 8, 2023, David Stephens, MD, Kathy Neuzil, MD, and Robert Atmar, MD conducted a visit to New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, and then to Gamble Vaccine Research Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) on March 30, 2023.

These visits were particularly exciting after more than three years of meeting virtually due to COVID-19. During these visits, leadership had the opportunity to discuss each VTEUs’ research initiatives and programs, tour their facilities, and most importantly meet with their researchers, faculty, trainees, and staff in-person – exchanging ideas and fostering conversation.

Thank you again to NYU and CCHMC for hosting the IDCRC Leadership Group members. We look forward to future opportunities to collaborate in-person.

IDCRC 2023 Pilot Award RFA

Mentored Pilot Research Project awards (similar to K08, K23 and K99 awards) provide 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 (e.g., acquisition of preliminary data, training in grant preparation). The projects can address a variety of topics, including vaccinology, therapeutics, laboratory studies and statistics. Scientists (MD, PhD or equivalent) nearing completion of postdoc or in early faculty positions (instructor or assistant professor) and those whom not have served as principal investigator (PI) or MPI on an R-grant (other than an R03) with NIH are eligible. Serving as PI on a K-series or other mentored career award does not preclude eligibility.

Letter of Intent due date: May 19, 2023
Application due date: June 19, 2023
Click here to download the application

2023 Annual Meeting

2023 IDCRC Annual Awards

Congratulations to the inaugural IDCRC Annual Award winners! We're proud of the incredible work and achievements of these outstanding researchers.

Best Scientific Publication
Robert Atmar, MD, Baylor College of Medicine,  Kirsten E. Lyke, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the DMID 21-0012 Study Group

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:

• Immune correlates analysis of a phase 3 trial of the AZD1222 (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccine
• Rapid Development of an Integrated Network Infrastructure to Conduct Phase 3 COVID-19 Vaccine Trials
• Rapid decline in vaccine-boosted neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant
• SARS-CoV-2 Variant Vaccine Boosters Trial: Preliminary Analyses
• Mapping SARS-CoV-2 antigenic relationships and serological responses
• Deconstructing the Treatment Effect of Remdesivir in the Adaptive Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Trial-1: Implications for Critical Care Resource Utilization
• Protocol for a sequential, prospective meta-analysis to describe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the pregnancy and postpartum periods

Training

Mentee Profile: Mauricio Kahn, MD

Clinical Fellow, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Dr. Kahn's research focuses on bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in pregnancy, co-infection with malaria, and their association with adverse birth outcomes. Novel diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for bacterial STIs to reduce transmission in low- and middle-income countries. 

Job Postings

• University of Alabama at Birmingham - Program Manager II

• Associate or Senior Scientific Investigator in Vaccines & Infectious Disease at Kaiser Permanente WA Health Research Institute

• Emory School of Medicine Faculty Position, Pediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases

• Joint ID/EIS Fellowship

• Senior Medical Science Liaison – Immunology

• Southern Research Available Positions in Birmingham, AL

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

News

Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Update

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) is currently working on several vaccines including shigella, malaria, and the flu.  However, its work on the COVID-19 protein vaccine stands out as a key achievement. Novavax the Gaithersburg, Maryland-based company debuted its protein-based COVID-19 vaccine in July 2022. The company reached out to the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) for help and UMSOM worked on the Phase 3 trial of Novavax’s vaccine to determine its safety and efficacy. In July 2022, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for Novavax’s vaccine.

Late-stage RSV vaccine trials show 'exciting promise'

A Pfizer vaccine to protect older adults and infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection has shown what scientists are calling "exciting" promise in late-stage trials. In one company-funded trial in adults 60 and older, the results of which were published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the vaccine prevented RSV-associated lower respiratory tract illness -- which includes acute bronchitis and pneumonia -- and prevented RSV-associated acute respiratory illness, with no apparent safety concerns.

Funding Opportunities

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

Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness (ReVAMPP) Centers for Flaviviridae and Togaviridae (U19 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) –  Due 30 days prior; Thursday, June 8 (Full application)
The purpose of this FOA is to establish comprehensive, cooperative basic and translational research centers to carry out in-depth research on prototype members of select virus families that have the potential to emerge as pandemic pathogens.

Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness (ReVAMPP) Centers for Bunyavirales, Paramyxoviridae, and Picornaviridae (U19 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) – Due 30 days prior; Thursday, June 8 (Full application)
The purpose of this FOA is to establish comprehensive, cooperative basic and translational research Centers to carry out in-depth research on prototype members of select virus families that have the potential to emerge as pandemic pathogens.

NIAID Resource-Related Research Projects (R24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) –
Due 30 days prior (LOI); 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.

International Research in Infectious Diseases (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
– Due 30 days prior (LOI); Wednesday, August 2, 2023; 2024; 2025 (Full application)
The purpose of this FOA is to support applications for high-priority, regionally relevant infectious diseases research by international investigators in resource-constrained countries.

IDCRC Studies

IDCRC Concept Quick Stats

NOTE:

• Protocols Transitioned to IDCRC for Protocol Implementation: 5
• Status: Protocol Dev/Pre-implementation: 1; Active Study: 3; Halted 1
• Other studies in process (not from an IDCRC concept): 5

Communication Resources

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