Federal Grant Award Summary

Oklahoma State University received a $403,320 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) awarded February 16, 2026, with a completion date of January 31, 2028. The grant supports development and testing of a novel live-attenuated respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for neonatal infants under 28 days of age. The research focuses on generating single-cycle RSV vaccines administered intranasally, which are designed to provide broad immunity (humoral, cellular, and mucosal) while preventing vaccine reversion to virulence through blocked cell-to-cell transmission.

The project addresses a critical public health need, as RSV remains the largest viral cause of pediatric bronchiolitis and pneumonia, causing over 100,000 deaths in children worldwide annually. While a recently FDA-approved maternal vaccine protects newborns through passively acquired antibodies, protection wanes after 4-6 months, leaving older infants and young children vulnerable to severe disease. The proposed single-cycle vaccine technology, previously validated in adult mouse models, is intended to directly induce immunity in the target neonatal population and provide protection against upper respiratory tract infection and virus spread, addressing gaps in current RSV prevention strategies for infants and children up to 4-5 years of age.