# Consortium for Immunotherapeutics against Emerging Viral Threats

> **NIH NIH U19** · LA JOLLA INSTITUTE FOR IMMUNOLOGY · 2021 · $7,065,330

## Abstract

SUMMARY: OVERALL
 This proposal, Consortium for Immunotherapeutics Against Emerging Viral Diseases, addresses a critical
gap in the biodefense portfolio by building an academic-industry partnership to advance effective, fully human,
antibody-based immunotherapeutics against three major families of emerging/re-emerging viruses: Lassa virus,
Ebola and other Filoviruses, and mosquito-transmitted Alphaviruses that threaten millions worldwide. This
program follows directly from our significant body of preliminary data (the largest available for these families of
viruses), therapeutics in hand, multidisciplinary expertise, and demonstrated collaborative success. Included in
the proposed CETR portfolio are: (1) the only available immunotherapeutics against endemic Lassa virus, with
reversal of late-stage disease and complete survival in infected non-human primates, (2) novel Ebola and pan-
ebolavirus therapeutics that also completely protect non-human primates from disease, and that were built by
the paradigm-shifting and comprehensive analysis of a global consortium, and (3) much needed, first-in-class
therapeutics against the re-emerging alphaviruses that have tremendous epidemic potential in the United States
and around the globe. These multidisciplinary studies, founded upon pioneering structural biology of the antigen
targets, include innovations such as agnostic, high-throughput Fc profiling and optimization, coupled with Fv
evolution to enhance potency and developability, as well as a sophisticated statistical and computational analysis
core to evaluate thresholds and correlates of protection across the major families of pathogens. Together, we
aim to understand what findings represent general rules and what data are specific to each virus family. We also
aim to provide streamlined systems for antibody choice and optimization that do not yet exist, and to build a
broadly applicable platform for mAb discovery and delivery against any novel pathogen as they emerge. The
recent resurgence of Lassa, the epidemic nature of Ebola virus and other re-emerging filoviruses, as well as the
major population at risk by global movement of mosquito-borne alphaviruses together demonstrate the
tremendous global need for immunotherapeutics developed and advanced by this program.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10158446
- **Project number:** 5U19AI142790-03
- **Recipient organization:** LA JOLLA INSTITUTE FOR IMMUNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Erica Ollmann Saphire
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $7,065,330
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10158446

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10158446, Consortium for Immunotherapeutics against Emerging Viral Threats (5U19AI142790-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10158446. Licensed CC0.

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