# Translational Immunology Core

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · 2024 · $5,972,985

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract – Translational Immunology Core
There are several virus families with serious pandemic potential but for which we currently have no effective
vaccines. Development of new vaccines (and new vaccine technologies) against these infectious diseases will
be critical for protecting Americans, and the world, from future pandemics. A major challenge in vaccine
development is assessing the translational potential of a candidate from small animal models to larger animal
models and humans. Unfortunately, most vaccines that show protection in mice do not result in protection when
tested in human clinical trials. To help de-risk these translational steps and establish mechanisms of protection
across multiple animal and in vitro models, the translational immunology core will collect comprehensive
immunogenicity and safety data in non-human primates (NHP) and test vaccine candidates for the ability to
stimulate human adaptive immune responses in an organoid model. We hypothesize that establishing correlates
of protection and detailed mechanistic data from multiple sources (murine immunogenicity and challenge data,
non-human primate immunogenicity and challenge data, and human immune organoids) will accelerate the
identification of common features that promote protective immunity in humans. The goal of the Translational
Immunology Core will be to support each of the individual projects by testing the most promising vaccine
candidates in non-human primates (Aim 1) and a human immune organoid model (Aim 2). We will conduct deep
serum antibody profiling from both NHP and human cohorts (Aim 3). We will collect comprehensive
immunogenicity and reactogenicity data in a rhesus macaque cohort, including dosing, overall animal health,
and innate and adaptive immune measurements. Lymphoid tissues from immunized animals will also be used
for in vitro immune organoid testing. In Aim 2, NHP and human lymphoid tissues will be stimulated (or
restimulated) with vaccine candidates in vitro and numerous metrics of productive adaptive immune responses,
including B and T cell activation, germinal center activity, and antibody magnitude, breadth, avidity, and function
will be established. The novelty of this core lies in our systems immunology approach to integrate health,
serological, phenotypic, functional, and repertoire readouts in well-controlled platforms. Completion of the
proposed experiments will help us rapidly identify correlates of protection and guide the design and refinements
of novel vaccines against Bunyaviruses, Paramyxoviruses, and Picornaviruses and directly contribute to and
support the individual projects in this proposal.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10863340
- **Project number:** 1U19AI181968-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Lisa Wagar
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $5,972,985
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-20 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10863340

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10863340, Translational Immunology Core (1U19AI181968-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10863340. Licensed CC0.

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