Federal Grant Award Summary

Award Details: The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded Boston Children's Hospital a Project Grant totaling $889,519 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855). The award commenced April 1, 2026, with a completion date of March 31, 2031.

Products and Services: This research initiative focuses on developing a multi-biologic, adeno-associated virus (AAV)-deliverable approach toward an HIV-1 functional cure. The project will advance two primary therapeutic candidates: broadly neutralizing antibodies (BNAbs) and ECD4-IG, a potency-enhanced CD4-IG biologic fused to a coreceptor-mimetic sulfopeptide. The research aims to identify optimal antibody variants and ECD4-IG formulations suitable for human clinical trials by evaluating new ECD4 sulfopeptide variants, determining the most effective Fc-domain configurations to minimize anti-drug antibodies while enhancing expression, and assessing in vivo safety profiles to eliminate risk of immune interference. Rather than relying on periodic infusions or conventional antiretroviral therapy, the AAV-delivery approach enables sustained in vivo expression of these biologics, potentially engaging multiple immune effector mechanisms and accelerating decay of the proviral reservoir. This translational research bridges preclinical findings demonstrating successful suppression of established infections in primate models toward clinical readiness for human application.