The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded $17.5 million over three years to the Duke Human Vaccine Institute to develop a vaccine that protects against multiple types of coronaviruses and viral variants.
Researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) announced they designed a pan-coronavirus vaccine earlier this year that demonstrated protectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 and variants, as well as the original SARS-CoV-1 and related bat coronaviruses that could potentially cause the next pandemic.
The NIAID funding will enable the DHVI team to develop the next generation of pan-coronavirus vaccines against the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) type of coronaviruses, as well as make a vaccine against other groups of coronaviruses that cause a portion of the common cold syndromes. Finally, the funded team will be prepared to respond quickly to any new coronaviruses that might arise, including a SARS-CoV-2 variant that might be resistant to current vaccines.
In addition to its work on COVID-19 vaccines, DHVI has received large federal contracts or grants to research, develop and test vaccines for HIV and influenza.
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