Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded J. David Gladstone Institutes a Project Grant totaling $3,559,750 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) for the period September 26, 2025 through August 31, 2029. The award supports the development and evaluation of a hybrid messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine technology designed to advance human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vaccine development. The research leverages combined features of mRNA and protein nanoparticle platforms through genetic encoding of self-assembling enveloped virus-like particles (EVLPs), utilizing endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) pathway recruitment mechanisms to enhance vaccine immunogenicity.

The primary deliverables include preclinical research and development of vaccine candidates targeting broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) responses against conserved HIV-1 envelope epitopes, with sequential immunization strategies designed to promote sustained affinity maturation and bNAb evolution. The research addresses critical gaps in current HIV-1 vaccine approaches by employing germline-targeting immunization strategies with the hybrid mRNA technology platform, which has demonstrated superior neutralizing antibody potency, breadth, and durability compared to conventional mRNA and protein nanoparticle vaccine approaches in preclinical models. The work will be conducted at the awardee's facility in California.