Cooperative Agreement 70NANB22H016

TITLE: DOMESTIC SUPPLY CHAIN FOR VACCINE MANUFACTURINGPURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS GRANT IS TO DEVELOP AND DEMONSTRATE PILOT SCALE MANUFACTURING OF VACCINE ADJUVANTS FROM SUSTAINABLE DOMESTIC SOURCES, THROUGH MICROBIAL FERMENTATION PROCESSES OR EXTRACTION FROM EASILY GROWN DOMESTIC PLANTS.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE PROJECT TEAM WILL BUILD PILOT- AND INTERMEDIATE-SCALE PRODUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SQUALENE AND DEVELOP MICROBIAL SYNTHESIS OF PLANT SAPONINS FOR USE AS VACCINE ADJUVANTS.EXPECTED OUTCOMES: SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THESE PROJECTS WILL RESOLVE SPECIFIC SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES FOR CRITICAL VACCINE COMPONENTS. THE RESEARCH WILL IDENTIFY SUSTAINABLE DOMESTIC SOURCES OF VACCINE ADJUVANTS THAT PROVIDE A LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO REPLACING CURRENT ADJUVANTS THAT CURRENTLY ARE PRODUCED FROM ECOLOGICALLY UNFRIENDLY AND GEOPOLITICALLY UNSTABLE FOREIGN SOURCING. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: VACCINE MANUFACTURERS WILL BENEFIT BY HAVING MORE ROBUST ADJUVANT SUPPLY CHAINS FOR VACCINE PRODUCTION. THE EMERGING U.S. BIOINDUSTRIAL SECTOR WILL BENEFIT BY DEVELOPING A HIGH-QUALITY AND DOMESTIC ALTERNATIVE FOR RAW MATERIAL VALUED BY VACCINE MANUFACTURERS AND THROUGH GAINING GREATER INSIGHT INTO REAL-WORLD INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS AND MARKETS. THE U.S. PUBLIC WILL BENEFIT BY HAVING MORE SECURE DOMESTIC SUPPLY CHAINS FOR VACCINES.SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: THE RECIPIENT PLANS TO SUBAWARD FUNDS TO SCALE UP FERMENTATION AND DOWNSTREAM PURIFICATION UNIT OPERATIONS, HARVEST PURIFIED SAPONIN FROM DOMESTIC QUILLAJA SAPONINS TREES, AND PRODUCE ADJUVANT MATERIAL FOR THIS RESEARCH PROJECT.