Thursday, November 21, 2024 11/21/2024

Combining germline-targeting, B cell immunofocusing and Env-Ab coevolution strategies to induce HIV Envelope V2-apex broadly neutralizing antibodies

Award Number: R61AI161818
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: The development of an effective HIV vaccine has proven to be a daunting challenge. Previous strategies for HIV vaccine design aimed to elicit protective T cell responses, non-neutralizing antibodies, broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs), or some combination of the three. All three approaches have thus far failed to consistently protect nonhuman primates (NHPs) or humans from infection. This grant aims to elicit bnAbs by means of a novel strategy that combines – for the first time – germline-targeting, immunofocusing and molecularly guided affinity maturation. This study design evolves from a growing consensus that critical elements to a successful bnAb-based vaccine will be its ability to efficiently bind and activate rare naïve B cell germline precursors of bnAbs; to immunofocus these B cell responses to canonical, conserved bnAb epitopes on the HIV Env trimer and away from off-target strain specific or trimer base epitopes; and to mature or “polish” this bnAb lineage response by a process of molecularly guided Env-Ab coevolution. The study design proposed in this application addresses each of these three essential requirements as it aims to elicit bnAbs targeting the highly conserved HIV-1 V2-apex site. The principal investigators (Andrabi and Shaw) have assembled a talented collaborating research team with a strong track record of scientific discovery, bioengineering and molecular tool development, including the discovery of V2-apex bnAbs (Burton), development of germline targeted V2 apex immunogens (Andrabi), bioengineering of phosphoserine-linked alum nanoparticle antigen displays (Irvine), discovery of V2- apex immunofocusing chimpanzee simian immunodeficiency viruses (Hahn), creation of CRISPRCas9 knock-in mice (Batista), development of next-generation “designer” SHIVs (Shaw) and preclinical-clinical translation (Dey). The project consists of four aims: Aim #1 will isolate HIV envelope V2-apex targeted bnAbs from SHIV infected rhesus macaques, identify their UCA’s, and generate UCA-expressing knock-in mouse models for vaccine evaluation. Aim #2 will design novel V2-apex germline-targeted and immunofocused SOSIP Env trimer immunogens and by mammalian display saturation mutagenesis and structure-guided design present them as soluble proteins or alum-based nanoparticles for enhanced B cell responses. Aim #3 will optimize germline- targeting and B cell immunofocusing boost strategies in V2-apex bnAb UCA-expressing KI-mice and outbred RMs, and will identify in SOSIP Env primed and SHIV infected RMs, Env “immunotypes” that can drive neutralization breadth. Aim #4 will design and test, first in KI mice and then in a pivotal preclinical trial in RMs, an all-SOSIP Env vaccination regimen designed to prime, boost and affinity-mature bnAb responses in a majority of animals. If successful, this would be the first example of a vaccine regimen that consistently elicits bnAbs in an outbred animal model, and it would represent an important beachhead in HIV-1 vaccine science, one that could be transitioned rapidly by our translational partner into human testing.


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 = $0 )
2025	2023	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE	10550 N TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	3	10/22/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$1,134,239
2025	2023	TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE	3451 WALNUT ST STE 440A	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19104	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	002	4	10/22/2024	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$1,343,737
2025	2022	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE	10550 N TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	2	10/22/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$209,498
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2024	2023	TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE	3451 WALNUT ST STE 440A	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19104	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	4	3/7/2024	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$490,507
2024	2023	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE	10550 N TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	3	3/6/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$490,507
2024	2023	TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE	3451 WALNUT ST STE 440A	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19104	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	002	4	6/10/2024	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $1,624,746 )
2023	2023	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE	10550 NORTH TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	3	3/14/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$1,624,746
														Subtotal = $1,624,746

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $1,618,119 )
2022	2022	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE	10550 NORTH TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	2	3/31/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$1,618,119
														Subtotal = $1,618,119

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $1,505,564 )
2021	2021	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE	10550 NORTH TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	3/31/2021	NEW	$1,505,564
2021	2021	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE	10550 NORTH TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	001	1	4/7/2021	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $1,505,564

Grand Total All Awards = $4,748,429

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Combining germline-targeting, B cell immunofocusing and Env-Ab coevolution strategies to induce HIV Envelope V2-apex broadly neutralizing antibodies

Award Number: R61AI161818

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

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