# Training in the Design and Development of Infectious Disease Therapeutics

> **NIH NIH T32** · ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL · 2021 · $212,784

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Infectious diseases remain the leading cause of death of children worldwide. New therapeutics are urgently
needed to replace current treatments that are being compromised by drug resistance and emerging threats.
The current COVID-19 pandemic perfectly illustrates the urgency. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
(SJCRH) is the ideal pediatric research and treatment center to train postdoctoral fellows in this effort. The
hospital’s translational and collaborative research environment combined with its expertise and infrastructure
have a proven track record of successful therapeutic development. Our pediatric patients, particularly those
treated for cancer, are typically immunocompromised and are at risk from a wide variety of infectious agents
and pathogens that evolve more rapidly without immune clearance. SJCRH has developed an internationally
recognized infectious disease program that dates from its establishment over 50 years ago. This program
includes major research efforts in therapeutic and prophylactic strategies for bacterial, viral and fungal
infectious agents. The training program leverages these strengths and the strong history of developing new
therapeutics to provide unique and enhanced research training to postdoctoral fellows. The 16 preceptors in
the program are from the departments of Infectious Diseases, Structural Biology, Chemical Biology &
Therapeutics, Immunology and Pharmaceutical Sciences. They bring complementary expertise to this
enterprise that not only seeks to understand the biology of infection but also strives to develop therapies to
combat them. This expertise includes drug discovery, high-throughput screening, medicinal chemistry,
immune responses to infection and therapies, and vaccine platforms and adjuvants. These efforts are linked to
on-site best in class capabilities in GMP manufacturing and clinical trials. The broad goals of the program
are to characterize pathogenic mechanisms, identify targets for therapeutic intervention, and develop
vaccines and lead drug compounds that progress through the state-of-the-art therapeutics
development infrastructure into safe and effective medicines. Collaborations between the preceptors
provide a cross-disciplinary approach to the training program. In addition, 4 clinical collaborators will provide
training in patient care, clinical trials and international medicine, and 5 training collaborators will provide
training in specialized techniques. All trainees will be instructed in grant writing, rigor and reproducibility, ethics
and mentoring. Interactions with pharmaceutical companies and visits to international sites in conjunction with
the SJCRH Global Program are integral parts of the curriculum. To promote independence, trainees will
develop their own research projects guided by a ‘team’ of mentors and apply for independent funding. We
request support for three postdoctoral trainees, and the program will continue its efforts to recruit URM tr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10270490
- **Project number:** 2T32AI106700-06A1
- **Recipient organization:** ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** STEPHEN W WHITE
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $212,784
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2015-07-08 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10270490

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10270490, Training in the Design and Development of Infectious Disease Therapeutics (2T32AI106700-06A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10270490. Licensed CC0.

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