National and Regional Biocontainment Research Facilities

The National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBLs) and Regional Biocontainment Laboratories (RBLs) provide BSL4/3/2 and BSL3/2 biocontainment facilities, respectively, for research on biodefense and emerging infectious disease agents.  

Diagnostics Development Services

NIAID’s Diagnostics Development Services program offers reagents, platform testing, and planning and design support to accelerate product development of in vitro diagnostics (IVD) for infectious diseases, from research feasibility through clinical validation.

Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Interdisciplinary Research Units (CARBIRU)

The Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Interdisciplinary Research Units (CARBIRUs) are multidisciplinary research centers focused on bacterial pathogens for which antibiotic resistance poses a significant public health concern, as designated by the CDC’s 2019 Report on Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States. Each center brings together investigators from multiple disciplines to investigate non-antibiotic alternative treatment and preventive strategies, including bacteriophage, monoclonal antibodies, ligand mimetics, and defined microbial consortia; poorly understood resistance mechanisms contributing to bacterial persistence and antibiotic treatment failure; and identification and validation of novel bacterial targets for antibiotic intervention.

Main Areas of Focus

The CARBIRU program supports fundamental, collaborative research ranging from discovery to early development research activities such as the:

  • Discovery and validation of viable therapeutic, diagnostic, or vaccine targets
  • Identification and characterization of host factors involved in susceptibility or response to infection and/or resistance
  • Elucidation of known or evolving mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and strategies to prevent emergence of resistance
  • Identification and development of novel approaches to combat antibiotic-resistant infections
  • Understanding the role of the microbiome and antibiotic-mediated dysbiosis in the development of resistant infections

Contact Information

Locations
Content Coordinator
Mason Booth
Cynthia Rojas

Next Generation COVID-19 Vaccines

Project NextGen

Led by NIAID and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Project NextGen is a coordinated effort where the federal government works with the private sector to advance the pipeline of new, innovative vaccines and therapeutics from labs into clinical trials with the intent to transition to the private sector later stage development and potential U.S.

Clinical Trial of mRNA Universal Influenza Vaccine Candidate Begins

A clinical trial of an experimental universal influenza vaccine developed by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center (VRC), part of the National Institutes of Health, has begun enrolling volunteers at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. This Phase 1 trial will test the experimental vaccine, known as H1ssF-3928 mRNA-LNP, for safety and its ability to induce an immune response.

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Contact the NIAID News & Science Writing Branch.

301-402-1663
niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov
All Media Contacts

NIAID Marks World Malaria Day

World Malaria Day is an opportunity to reflect on continuing challenges posed by malaria and reaffirm a commitment to overcoming them. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, joins with the global health community in recognizing this year’s theme of “Time to Deliver on Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, Implement.”

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niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov
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The Potential and Challenges of Mucosal COVID-19 Vaccines

In November 2022, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) co-hosted a virtual workshop on the importance and challenges of developing mucosal vaccines for SARS-COV-2. The highlights of this workshop have now been published as a report in npj Vaccines.

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niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov
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Temperature-Stable TB Vaccine Safe, Prompts Immune Response in NIH-Supported Study

A clinical trial testing a freeze-dried, temperature-stable experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccine in healthy adults found that it was safe and stimulated both antibodies and responses from the cellular arm of the immune system. The Phase 1 trial was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. A non-temperature stable form of the candidate previously had been tested in several clinical trials.

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Contact the NIAID News & Science Writing Branch.

301-402-1663
niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov
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Tuberculosis Research Advancement Centers (TRACs)

In 2022, NIAID established six new Tuberculosis Research Advancement Centers (TRACs) to foster multidisciplinary tuberculosis (TB) research and deliver exceptional mentorship to new investigators.

The newly established TRACs will provide scientific leadership and institutional infrastructure dedicated to TB research and will foster and enhance multidisciplinary collaboration. The Centers are dedicated to developing the next generation of scientific leaders in TB research through mentoring and training opportunities and by providing funding support for either new investigators pursuing TB research or researchers who want to enter the TB field at institutions within the TRAC network. The TRACs will provide shared research support for resources, services and training dedicated to TB, and will strengthen TB clinical research through international and/or domestic collaborations.

Main Area of Focus

The main goal of the TRACs is to provide administrative and shared research support to foster and elevate multidisciplinary TB research and provide exceptional mentorship to new investigators. TRACs will provide core facilities, services and mentoring opportunities to achieve the goals of the program.

Contact Information

Dr. Lakshmi Ramachandra
Section Chief
Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases Section
Respiratory Diseases Branch

Dr. Susana Mendez
Program Officer
Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases Section 
Respiratory Diseases Branch

Content Coordinator
Mason Booth
Cynthia Rojas
Content Manager
Mason Booth

NIAID Issues Further Awards to Support Pan-Coronavirus Vaccine Development

NIAID Now |

A scanning electron microscope image showing SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (which appear as spheres) emerging from the surface of a cell cultured in the lab.

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (round gold particles) emerging from the surface of a cell cultured in the lab.

Credit: NIAID

COVID-19 has been the deadliest, most widespread pandemic caused by a coronavirus in known history. However, SARS-CoV-2 continues to mutate, leading to new viral variants, and it is not the only coronavirus with pandemic potential. Developing a vaccine capable of fighting a diverse group of coronaviruses and viral variants remains a priority for NIAID. 

In September of 2021, NIAID awarded $36.3 million across three awards to support the development of “pan-coronavirus” vaccines. Since this announcement, NIAID has awarded an additional $26.1 million for four additional “pan-coronavirus” vaccine grant awards, listed at the end of this post. A vaccine capable of targeting the entire family of viruses could be a valuable early tool in quelling new outbreaks and preventing pandemics. These awards are designed to help researchers discover, design, and develop vaccine candidates that provide broad protective immunity to multiple kinds of coronaviruses, and which could be an important tool in preventing future pandemics.

The awards are designed to support multidisciplinary research teams at each institution and support collaborative efforts to incorporate understanding of coronavirus virology and immunology, immunogen design, and innovative vaccine and adjuvant platforms and technologies. Additional awards may be issued in the future. 

Awards issued after the September 2021 announcement include:

Rockefeller University, New York
Project Title: Broad Neutralization of Pandemic Threat Coronaviruses 
Grant: 1 P01 AI165075-01

University of Washington, Seattle
Project Title: Structure-Based Design of Broadly Protective Coronavirus Vaccines
Grant: 1 P01 AI167966-01

Washington University, St. Louis
Project The Development and Evaluation of Pan-Coronavirus Vaccines
Grant: 1 P01 AI168347-01

Wistar Institute, Philadelphia
Project Title: Structural Vaccinology Guided Development of a Universal CoV Vaccine Utilizing Nucleic Acid Delivered Nanoparticles
Grant: 1 P01 AI165066-01

Awards previously announced:
University of Wisconsin, Madison   
Project Title: PanCorVac (Center for Pan-Coronavirus Vaccine Development)
Grant: 1 P01 AI165077-01

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston 
Project Title: Discovering Durable Pan-Coronavirus Immunity 
Grant: 1 P01 AI165072-01

Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 
Project Title: Design and Development of a Pan-Betacoronavirus Vaccine 
Grant: 1 P01 AI158571-01A1

Contact Information

Contact the NIAID Media Team.

301-402-1663
niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov

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