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Center for Rational HCV Vaccine Design & Evaluation

Award Number: U19AI201696
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/02/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2031

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Center for Rational HCV Vaccine Design & Evaluation - OVERALL PROJECT SUMMARY Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects over 50 million people worldwide and remains a leading cause of liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and autoimmune disorders. Despite curative antivirals, reinfection and ongoing transmission underscore the urgent need for a prophylactic vaccine. Extreme viral genetic diversity has long impeded HCV vaccine development, demanding approaches that focus immune responses on conserved viral epitopes recognized by broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) and cross-reactive T cells. The U19 Cooperative Center for Rational HCV Vaccine Design & Evaluation aims to develop innovative and clinically translatable vaccine candidates capable of eliciting potent bnAb and multifunctional T cell responses. Our central hypothesis is that understanding and optimizing the presentation of conserved epitopes will enable rationally designed vaccines to elicit stronger and broader protection than first-generation E1E2- or T cell-based candidates. Project 1 will define the structural basis of conserved neutralizing epitopes and determine their presentation on HCV virions, virus-like particles, and vaccine immunogens using X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, and cryo-ET. These studies will reveal the organization of E1E2 complexes and how decoy regions such as HVR1 affect epitope exposure. Project 2 will design and evaluate optimized immunogens targeting the E1E2 neutralizing face and bridging domain using structure-guided engineering, conformation stabilization, glycan modulation, germline targeting, nanoparticle and nucleic acid lipid nanoparticle platforms. Candidates will be benchmarked against Chiron E1E2 in mice and nonhuman primates to identify top designs for GMP translation. The Virology Immunology Data Core will standardize reagents, assays, and data integration for AI-assisted immune analysis, while the Animal Model Core will provide human immunoglobulin knock-in (Ig-KI) mice and rhesus models for vaccine evaluation. This highly synergistic Center will define HCV vulnerability mechanisms and deliver optimized vaccine prototypes ready for clinical development.


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: 2026 ( Subtotal = $3,282,170 )
2026	2026	SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE	10550 N TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	9/2/2026	NEW	$3,282,170
														Subtotal = $3,282,170

Grand Total All Awards = $3,282,170

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Center for Rational HCV Vaccine Design & Evaluation

Award Number: U19AI201696

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/02/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2031

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