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Non-inferiority trial of a therapeutic vaccine against Chagas disease in naturally-infected rhesus macaques

Award Number: R01AI162907
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/16/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2028

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Non-inferiority trial of a therapeutic vaccine against Chagas disease in naturally-infected rhesus macaques - PROJECT SUMMARY Non-inferiority trial of a therapeutic vaccine against Chagas disease in naturally- infected rhesus macaques Chagas disease is a major vector borne parasitic disease cause by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, with over 6 million cases in the Americas. Chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC) is the most common and life-threathening manifestation of Chagas disease. There is a critical need to develop new treatments for Chagasic patients, and vaccines would represent a very cost-effective alternative to drug therapy. Preventive and therapeutic vaccines have shown promise in mouse and dog models, in particular with vaccines based on TSA-1 and Tc24 parasite antigens. Therefore, our long-term goal is to develop a human vaccine, to improve the prevention and control of Chagas disease, and we have established a first public-private consortium to reach this goal. The overall objective of the project is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a therapeutic vaccine against T. cruzi in non-human primates by performing a non- inferiority trial in naturally infected rhesus macaques. Chagasic macaques will be randomly assigned to treatments based on (a) our therapeutic vaccine alone, (b) therapeutic vaccination plus subpatent benznidazole (BZN) treatment, for a non- inferiority comparison with (c) the standard BZN drug treatment (comparator arm). We will use blood parasitic load measured by qPCR, immediately (month 3) and 10 months after treatment as a primary efficacy outcome, as in several current clinical trials. We will test the hypothesis that therapeutic vaccination (alone or combined with BZN) is non- inferior to conventional BZN treatment, immediately and 10 months after treatment. We will also monitor cardiac function through electrocardiographic and echographic recordings as a secondary outcome, to test the hypothesis that cardiac function can be preserved by therapeutic vaccination. Finally, we will identify the immune correlates and biomarkers for disease progression and response to treatments by associating candidate molecules with cardiac function and parasite burden. Upon completion of these studies, we expect to identify a leading vaccine candidate for future clinical trials, which will lead to improved patient care and control of Chagas disease.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $679,990 )
2025	2025	THE ADMINISTRATORS OF TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND	6823 SAINT CHARLES AVE	NEW ORLEANS	LA	70118	ORLEANS	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	3	1/13/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$679,990
														Subtotal = $679,990

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $714,298 )
2024	2024	ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND, THE	6823 SAINT CHARLES AVE	NEW ORLEANS	LA	70118	ORLEANS	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	2	1/12/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$642,869
2024	2024	ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND, THE	6823 SAINT CHARLES AVE	NEW ORLEANS	LA	70118	ORLEANS	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	2	5/23/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$71,429
														Subtotal = $714,298

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $751,603 )
2023	2023	ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND, THE	6823 SAINT CHARLES AVE	NEW ORLEANS	LA	70118	ORLEANS	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	2/16/2023	NEW	$751,603
														Subtotal = $751,603

Grand Total All Awards = $2,145,891

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Non-inferiority trial of a therapeutic vaccine against Chagas disease in naturally-infected rhesus macaques

Award Number: R01AI162907

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/16/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2028

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