Friday, October 31, 2025 10/31/2025

In vivo engineering of B cells for the secretion of HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies

Award Number: R01AI167003
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: 12/03/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 11/30/2026

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In vivo engineering of B cells for the secretion of HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies - PROJECT SUMMARY We have developed a novel gene therapeutic approach to achieve an HIV functional cure, wherein broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) genes are targeted to the endogenous heavy chain locus in B cells for expression as functional antigen-receptors (BCRs). This takes advantage of the precision of gene editing conferred by CRISPR-Cas9 reagents and homology-directed gene editing. We have shown that these broadly neutralizing BCRs respond to HIV Env immunogens by signaling clonal expansion and germinal center maturation of the engineered cells and thereby generate durable, isotype-switched memory bnAb responses that could be deployed for long-term control of HIV. Given these features of B cell biology, which are preserved by our gene editing approach, we hypothesize that sufficient neutralizing antibody titers in serum could be generated from very few engineered B cells, including the levels achieved by in vivo delivery of genome-editing reagents directly to the target cells. In support of this approach, we have now shown that high-titer bnAb responses can be elicited in mice by vaccination with HIV-Env immunogens when the animals are injected with a transcriptionally-targeted dual-AAV vector system carrying the bnAb editing reagents. Unlike injection of recombinant bnAbs, or AAV- vectored delivery of bnAb-IgG expression cassettes to liver or muscle for long-term secretion from viral episomes, bnAbs generated from in vivo gene-edited B cells in response to vaccination are expected to have the following advantages: 1) be boostable, as needed, in response to viral antigen, 2) express bnAbs as all effector isotypes to expand antiviral immunity, 3) affinity-mature or evolve the bnAb response to keep-pace with a rapidly evolving virus, and 4) be better tolerated by the immune system. To further develop this approach, we have assembled a team that brings together expertise in B cell engineering, vector development, HIV vaccine design, and animal models to further develop this in vivo delivery approach to specifically and efficiently engineer B cells in vivo and to evaluate this approach as an in vivo HIV cure.


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 = $700,174 )
2025	2025	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE	10550 N TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	4	11/15/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$700,174
														Subtotal = $700,174

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $733,631 )
2024	2024	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE	10550 N TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	3	5/15/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$73,362
2024	2024	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE	10550 N TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	002	3	7/10/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2024	2024	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE	10550 NORTH TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	3	11/13/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$660,269
														Subtotal = $733,631

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $738,581 )
2023	2023	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE	10550 NORTH TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	2	11/14/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$738,581
														Subtotal = $738,581

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $645,746 )
2022	2022	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE	10550 NORTH TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	12/2/2021	NEW	$645,746
														Subtotal = $645,746

Grand Total All Awards = $2,818,132

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In vivo engineering of B cells for the secretion of HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies

Award Number: R01AI167003

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: 12/03/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 11/30/2026

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