Notice to Highlight NIAID Interest in Research to Optimize Influenza Vaccine Production

Notice Number: NOT-AI-11-030

Release Date: February 8, 2011

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Research aimed at developing tools to control epidemic influenza and the increasing threat of pandemic influenza is one of NIAID's highest priorities. Influenza is both a major public health threat and a NIAID Biodefense Category C priority pathogen (http://www2.niaid.nih.gov/Biodefense/bandc_priority.htm).

The purpose of this Notice is to highlight NIAID’s interest in receiving grant applications to develop strategies, methods and/or tools to optimize influenza vaccine production. Areas of high priority include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Innovative approaches (e.g. laboratory-, technology-, bioinformatic-based methods and/or modeling) to improve annual influenza vaccine strain selection;
• Strategies that enhance both influenza virus growth in eggs and cells and the subsequent yield of hemagglutinin (HA) proteins;
• Technologies that rapidly accelerate the production of antibodies against HA proteins;
• Development of new methods/assays that expedite the assessment of the potency of inactivated influenza virus vaccines;
• Novel assays to measure vaccine-induced correlates of protection.

Applications on influenza in response to this notice may be submitted to any of the following NIH programs, as appropriate:

• NIH Exploratory Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-069.html .
• Research Project Grant (Parent R01): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-067.html.
• NIH Small Research Grant Program (Parent R03): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-064.html.
• NIAID Advanced Technology SBIR (NIAID-AT-SBIR [R43/R44]): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-123.html .
• NIAID Advanced Technology STTR (NIAID-AT-STTR [R41/R42]): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-124.html .
• PHS 2011-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, FDA and ACF for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44]): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-096.html.
• PHS 2011-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42]): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-097.html.
• SHIFT Award: Small Businesses Helping Investigators to Fuel the Translation of Scientific Discoveries [SBIR: R43/R44]: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-122.html.

Information related to the scientific areas covered by this notice may be obtained by contacting:

Dr. Fred Cassels
casselsf@niaid.nih.gov
301-402-8601

Information related to the specific programs can be obtained by contacting the program contact listed in the individual announcements above.