# Virologic and Immunologic Sample Acquisition Core

> **NIH NIH U19** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $2,410,342

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY – CORE E
Virologic and Immunologic Sample Acquisition Core (VISAC)
Preparedness for the next pandemic relies upon improved understanding of both emerging viruses and the
human immunologic response to these pathogens. Identification of immunogens and evaluation of T and B cell
repertoires from a diverse population is key to development of successful vaccine candidates and monoclonal
antibody therapeutics. These efforts require the collection of specialized immunologic specimens from people
exposed to pathogens of interest, in addition to isolation of the pathogen itself. The VISAC Core will support
all five Research Projects. Characterizing the host response to a prototype virus from a given viral family can
elucidate broadly applicable mechanisms by which the human immune response can be primed to protect
against other emerging viruses related to the prototype pathogen through vaccination, or protection can be
passively conveyed through the selection and administration of highly effective cross-neutralizing antibodies.
The creation of vaccines and therapeutics against pathogens with pandemic potential relies on identifying
immune correlates, and evaluating the durability, of protection of the systemic and mucosal immune response.
Led by Drs. Kevin Messacar (VISAC Scientific PL) and David Kimberlin (VISAC Operational PL), the NIH-
funded “Pandemic Response Repository: Microbial and Immunologic Surveillance and Epidemiology,” or
PREMISE, pilot study has demonstrated proof-of-principle for the feasibility and utility of creating immunologic
biorepositories to drive development of vaccine candidates and monoclonal antibody therapeutics for emerging
pathogens. The approach used in PREMISE, which will be applied in the Virologic and Immunologic Sample
Acquisition Core (VISAC), involves the creation of overlapping longitudinal cohorts of children from regions
likely to experience primary infection with a pathogen. The VISAC will expand the geographic scope of
PREMISE significantly to provide a unique biorepository of specialized biological specimens from people
exposed to prototype pathogens of interest to support the BP4 Center’s, as well as other ReVAMPP centers’,
basic and translational science work. This biorepository will consist of human peripheral blood mononuclear
cells, serum, plasma, and crevicular fluid from diverse longitudinal cohorts of people from geographic regions
across three continents likely to be exposed to the selected viruses, as well as ongoing sampling of
contemporary strains of selected viruses through detection of viral shedding during symptomatic illness to
ensure the prototype pathogen approaches pursued apply to newly or more recently circulating viral strains.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10863658
- **Project number:** 1U19AI181979-01
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** David W. Kimberlin
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $2,410,342
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-20 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10863658

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10863658, Virologic and Immunologic Sample Acquisition Core (1U19AI181979-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10863658. Licensed CC0.

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