Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Alpacure received a $300,000 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded July 1, 2026, with completion expected June 30, 2028. The project focuses on developing a single-domain antibody-based lateral flow assay (LFA) for tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics. The deliverables include the refinement of a variable heavy chain antibody fragment (VHH) optimization platform, leveraging phage-display discovery processes and existing VHH candidates, to create a low-cost, low-complexity point-of-care diagnostic test comparable to COVID-19 rapid antigen tests.

The proposed solution addresses a critical diagnostic gap in TB management, where approximately 30% of estimated cases go undiagnosed globally. By utilizing VHH fragments—which are one-tenth the size of conventional antibodies and offer advantages including high thermostability, low production costs, and improved binding site density—Alpacure aims to deliver an accessible diagnostic tool for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis-derived antigens. The Phase I effort will optimize the VHH platform to enable development of a rapid, accurate TB diagnostic test suitable for deployment in resource-limited settings where conventional testing infrastructure is unavailable.