Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded the University of Pennsylvania a Project Grant totaling $1,337,794 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. This award funds research focused on developing SHIV-OPT4, a novel animal model for rapidly and consistently eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies (BNABs) against HIV-1 V2 apex epitopes. The project builds on prior findings demonstrating that primary HIV-1 envelope proteins expressed via simian-human immunodeficiency viruses (SHIVs) in rhesus macaques produce antibody-virus coevolution patterns comparable to natural human infection. The research team has developed germline-targeting envelope variants (OPT4 and OPT4-S) designed to focus B cell responses toward canonical V2 apex BNAB epitopes, achieving neutralization breadth in nearly all infected animals within 20 weeks and generating plasma titers exceeding 1:1000 against heterologous tier 2 viruses.

The research deliverables encompass characterization of the OPT4 SHIV model's capacity to reliably induce V2 apex BNABs, elucidation of the molecular, biological, and immunological mechanisms underlying BNAB precursor priming, and advancement of a validated nonhuman primate platform for HIV-1 vaccine and therapeutic development. This model addresses a critical gap in HIV prevention and cure research by providing a reproducible, outbred animal system in which BNAB induction mechanisms can be deciphered—substantially accelerating the development of effective HIV-1 prevention strategies and informing human vaccine design. The award supports research conducted at the University of Pennsylvania's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania location.