NIAID awards 6 new research contracts to discover & characterize novel adjuvants

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, awarded six new research contracts to discover and characterize novel adjuvants, substances that can be added to vaccines to enhance the protective immune response they induce. 

"The goal of these awards is to find safe new adjuvants that will boost the effectiveness of vaccines," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "Adjuvants can be used not only to enhance the immune response to a vaccine and thereby offer better protection but also to extend the vaccine supply if needed, enabling more people to be vaccinated with fewer doses." 

Currently, the only vaccine adjuvant approved for use in the United States is an aluminum mixture known as alum. 

NIAID has awarded a total of approximately $60 million over five years for these contracts. The awardees will identify novel compounds with the potential to be vaccine adjuvants. All compounds will be tested in animal models and human cells to determine how well they stimulate the immune response. The investigators also will examine and describe the cellular reactions the compounds induce.