Vaccines and Therapeutics Technology Core

PROJECT SUMMARY - CORE D
The Vaccine and Therapeutics Technologies (VTT) Core will focus on developing a rapid pipeline for next-
generation vaccine and therapeutic antibody candidates. We will facilitate this by providing critical reagents,
consulting, and coordinating production and quality control of candidate molecules in myriad technology
platforms. This Core D will support all five Research Projects (RPs). The core group has five specific aims:
(Aim 1) Develop and produce recombinant virus-like particles (VLPs) as Picornavirus vaccine
candidates, supplied by Aleph Bio for Research Project 1 (RP1). (Aim 2) Design, production, purification,
modification, and quality control services for RNA lipid nanoparticles (RNA-LNPs) and rhesus adenoviral
(RhAd) vector vaccine platforms for RP1, RP3, and RP5. (Aim 3) Design, production, purification, modification,
and quality control services for circular RNA (circRNA) vaccine platforms for RP1, RP3, and RP5. (Aim 4)
Bolster the BP4 center network by offering the design and production of electroporation-delivered DNA-
encoded monoclonal antibodies for RP2, RP4, and RP5. (Aim 5) Provide access to design and broad
production capabilities for recombinant proteins and antibodies for all RPs.
The VTT Core will prioritize the utilization of vaccine and antibody candidate molecule generation
services by aligning with the goals of the BP4 consortium, which aims to develop and deploy next-generation
vaccine and therapeutic antibody candidates rapidly. This prioritization will occur through the core group
consulting all Research Projects (RPs) about each delivery technology's strengths, weaknesses, and overall
capabilities. This approach will help researchers make informed decisions about which technologies are most
suitable for their specific projects. The core leaders also will coordinate with the RP Proejct Leaders and
technology providers to ensure that the most promising candidates are produced and tested efficiently. The
core then will carry out production of the selected candidate molecules and perform extensive quality control
(QC) testing of the resulting reagents. This work will involve working closely with relevant working groups
across several organizations within the BP4 consortium. The VTT Core will ensure that the entire process,
from candidate molecule generation to QC, is carried out rapidly and with high quality standards. By focusing
on these objectives, the VTT Core will help prioritize candidate vaccines and antibodies in line with the
consortium's goals, ensuring that the most promising candidates are advanced efficiently through the
development pipeline.

Grant Number: 1U19AI181979-01
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: ROBERT CARNAHAN