IDCRC Newsletter: December 2024
As 2024 comes to a close, the IDCRC Leadership Group would like to extend their gratitude for your efforts and dedication this year. We wish you a happy holiday season and look forward to the year ahead!
"In this meaningful holiday season, I want to thank everyone in the IDCRC network for an excellent year and to look forward to the one ahead. All the best to you and your families."
—David Stephens, MD, IDCRC PI and LG chair (pictured left)
"2024 has been a wonderful year with so much for our consortium to be proud of. All the work you do contributes to the health and well-being of so many people, helping us better understand infections and how to treat and prevent them. May you and your families enjoy the upcoming holidays!" —Jim Campbell, MD, MS, LG vice chair (pictured middle)
"It’s always a good time in December to take stock. This year, I am grateful to this hardworking team with unwavering commitment to science and improving health. I hope you enjoy a bit of rest before 2025!" —Jodie Dionne, MD, MSPH, LOC co-director (pictured right)
IDCRC Admin Profile: Jacquelyn Manduley
"When the project director position was available in the IDCRC, it felt like an excellent opportunity to become a part of a focused team in which I am helping to facilitate meaningful research. Personally, as a parent to a young child and being familiar with vaccine misinformation, the idea of supporting contributions to vaccine knowledge felt particularly valuable, and I was very excited to join the team."
Meet Jacquelyn Manduley, IDCRC's project director. Jacquelyn joined the IDCRC administrative team in February 2023 and has worked for Emory University for over six years. She has spent close to 20 years in higher education administration.
Training
The IDCRC welcomes new cohort to the Mentoring and Training Key Function Committee (MCDC) Program
The IDCRC is pleased to introduce the 15 early-stage investigators who will join the third cohort of the MCDC's highly successful mentoring program. Nominated by their VTEU leaders, these mentees will participate in a two-year structured program aimed at providing mentorship and development in clinical and translational infectious diseases research.
When asked what they are most looking forward to in starting this program, here is what they had to say:
"I'm looking forward to learning more about the incredible work that our ID community is performing and forging new relationships with other motivated individuals as we develop clinical research opportunities to better serve our communities and patients." —Natalya Beneschott, MD
"I’m really looking forward to having a regular group of peers who are facing the same types of challenges both in study conduct and career development. This program offers an excellent built-in support group of people who have experience with the same types of challenges and opportunities that I will be facing in the next few years." —Chandler Church, MD, MSc
"I'm looking forward to learning from this wonderful team to develop a physician scientist career and establishing new collaborations together!" —Cristina Tomatis-Souverbielle, MD
MCDC Leaders welcome new cohort
Hear from our MCDC leaders as they share their sentiments about what's to come over the next two years.
(Pictured alphabetically left to right)
"We are excited to welcome the next cohort of future leaders to the MCDC, who will be joining the program for the next two years, which will include lectures, career talks, a book club and focused problem-solving for emerging investigators. We appreciate the IDCRC leaders support and engagement to ensure this cohort becomes even more connected to the vaccinology research community. Thank you especially to Felicia Scaggs Huang and Maria Rodriguez-Barradas for their efforts developing the lecture series for Cohort 2, and we welcome Tara Reid, who will take on this role for Cohort 3." —Lara A. Danziger-Isakov, MD, MPH, co-chair, MCDC
"We are really excited about this new cohort of MCDC mentees. We are particularly impressed by the diversity of research interests represented by the group and by their level of engagement. We are looking forward to another session of learning from one another and networking across the VTEUs.” —Igho Ofotokun, MD, MSc, co-chair, MCDC
"As we welcome the incoming cohort, I’m excited to continue learning from the excellent community of clinical researchers within the MCDC. This program has been instrumental in my own academic success, and I’m eager to support its ongoing growth. I look forward to seeing how this new group contributes to the program's impact in infectious diseases research"
—Tara Reid, MD, PhD, chair, Lecture Series Subcommittee (pictured right)
Manual of Procedures Sections
View the recently approved IDCRC Manual of Procedures (MOP) section that describes the structure, operating policies, roles, and responsibilities of entities and individuals within the unit/consortium:
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:
- Association Between SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load and COVID-19 Vaccination in 4 Phase 3 Trials
- Epidemiological, Phylogenetic, and Resistance Heterogeneity Among Acinetobacter baumannii in a Large U.S. Deep South Healthcare system
- Neutralizing Antibody Immune Correlates for a Recombinant Protein Vaccine in the COVAIL Trial
Annual Meeting
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
Whooping cough vaccine vigilance is slipping in Washington (WA)
Helen Chu, MD, MPH, (University of Washington) recently was one of the writers for a Seattle Times article, "Whooping cough vaccine vigilance is slipping in WA."
Read an excerpt of the article below and click the button to read the full story.
"For several years, whooping cough has been relatively rare. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the precautions we took against SARS-CoV-2 — like masking and social distancing — caused the number of other respiratory infections to fall as well. Cases of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and whooping cough all dropped dramatically. But in 2022, after the pandemic precautions relaxed, cases of influenza and RSV surged.
Unfortunately, skepticism that arose during the pandemic about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine has bled over into a declining confidence in routine childhood vaccines, and now many children, teens and young adults in our community are under-vaccinated. As a result, we can expect to see outbreaks of several vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough now that schools are back in session."
RSV Vaccines Effective, But More People Need to Get Them
Since their introduction last year, researchers have been monitoring the real-world impact of the new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines. In a recent commentary in The Lancet, Angela Branche, MD, an infectious diseases researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), details what has been learned during the vaccine’s first season.
“The evidence is clear; individuals should get vaccinated if they have conditions that place them at risk for severe disease. For older adults and those with chronic conditions, RSV should be considered as serious as the flu, and they should get vaccinated,” said Branche.
Job Postings
Infectious Diseases Research Job Openings
- Fred Hutch - Post-Doctoral Research Fellow *New*
- Rush University Medical Center: Infectious Diseases – Clinical Faculty *New*
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute: Assistant, Associate/Senior Scientific Investigator, Vaccines & Infectious Disease
- University of Rochester - HIV Vaccine Clinical Research Leader - Infectious Diseases
- Boston Medical Center: Post Doctoral Research Fellow
- Broad Institute: Scientific Program Manager, Infectious Disease
- Georgia Southern University - Associate Professor or Professor and Director of the Center for Vector-borne Infectious Disease Research (VIDR)
Visit the IDSA Career Center to browse other ID/HIV Medicine job postings.
Funding Opportunities
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.
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)
IDCRC Concept Quick Stats
ICP Status
Approved: 59
Administratively Not Supported: 29
Not Approved: 59
EWG Review: 0
EWG Liaisons: 0
EMT Concurrence: 0
Withdrawn: 15
Hold: 2
Moved to Active Study: 2
EWG Assignment
COVID: 92
Respiratory: 33
Emerging Infections: 15
Enteric Inf.: 8
Malaria and Tropical Dis.: 13
Sexually Transmitted Infections: 18
ECP Status
EWG Review-In Process: 1
EMT Review: 2
Approved-moved to Prioritization: 4
Not Approved: 22
Approved-moved to Protocol development: 0
Active Study: 8
EMT Vote: 0
Study in Protocol Development: 2
Study Closed (LSLV Complete): 6
Other: 9
Communication Resources
Please submit IDCRC news to idcrc@emory.edu for inclusion in the monthly newsletter and IDCRC.org.
