VUMC LSO: NIH NIAID Multidisciplinary Approach to Study Vaccine-elicited Immunity Against Malaria; due Nov. 16

These instructions are for VUMC investigators. VU investigators should apply through InfoReady and address any questions to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.

VUMC may submit 1 application to the NIH NIAID Multidisciplinary Approach to Study Vaccine-elicited Immunity and Efficacy against Malaria (U01) program. This initiative supports research to advance understanding of the underlying immune mechanisms that contribute to malaria vaccine-elicited protection or vaccine hypo-responsiveness in endemic regions by capitalizing on recent research advances in systems vaccinology and systems immunology as well as emerging opportunities in data science and informatics. The goal is to identify host signatures and mechanistic factors that influence malaria vaccine performance in endemic regions to guide and improve future vaccine design and evaluation. Application budgets are limited to $750,000 in annual direct costs for up to five years.

Multidisciplinary science and collaboration among investigators from the malaria vaccine research field and other relevant scientific areas are highly encouraged. Applicants are encouraged to propose research efforts in one or more of the three major topic areas described below:

·      Baseline immune status: To characterize baseline human immune status and how it impacts or predicts malaria vaccine responsiveness, including the level or durability of protection.

·      Vaccine-elicited immunity and correlates of vaccine outcomes: To investigate vaccine-elicited immune responses, including innate, adaptive, and other cellular or molecular pathways, that are associated with vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy.

·      Mechanistic studies: To investigate factors that contribute to variation in baseline immune status or to vaccine-induced protective immunity and efficacy.

See the solicitation for full program details, including additional research objectives and topics that will be considered non-responsive to the RFA. Clinical trials are considered non-responsive.

Internal Application Process:

Anyone interested in being considered to submit Vanderbilt’s proposal must submit the following (in a single PDF) to LSO@vanderbilt.edu by 5 p.m. on November 16:

•  .     Brief (2-page maximum) research plan including summary budget;
• 2     Statement of support from department chair/center director;
• 3     NIH Biosketch

 Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to LSO@vanderbilt.edu.