# Early in vivo expressed antigens and their role in virulence, immune response, and vaccines for coccidioidomycosis

> **NIH NIH U19** · NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $189,300

## Abstract

Administrative Core Section
SUMMARY
The Virulence, Immune Response, and Vaccine (VIRV) Cocci Cooperative Research Center (CCRC) will be
directed by the administrative core (AdC) and a senior management team (SMT). The SMT is composed of
Drs. Paul Keim (overall PI/PD), Bridget Barker, Deborah Fuller, and Erik Settles – all experienced scientific
project managers. This is an aggregate effort by Northern Arizona University, University of Washington, the
University of Arizona, the Kern Medical Center, the Tulane National Primate Research Center, and the
Translational Genomics Research Institute that will capitalize upon the strengths of each institution and will
synergistically foster a collaborative and productive scientific culture. Because it is a multi-Institutional
program, coordination and communication are essential and will be an emphasis in the AdC. All of the
individual Cores and Research Projects (RPs) will be represented on the SMT, which will provide effective
vertical and horizontal communication, and management. Weekly meetings will be held within each of the
CCRC components in addition to regular monthly cross-CCRC sessions to foster engagement and
collaboration across the projects. All meetings will be supported by video conferencing and recorded, to
lower participation barriers across the physical research locations. Slack accounts and channels will be an
important part of the management communication scheme. Financial and compliance monitoring, along with
reporting activities of the Cores and RPs, will be managed by the AdC, which includes a project manager
with business accounting support. Major services, such as publication, animal models, and travel will be
funded through the Cores to support the three individual RPs. Milestones and Timelines will be generated
for each component and reviewed monthly during the SMT meetings. Outreach activities will be assessed
and are part of the success metrics. Integral to these CCRC coordination efforts will be our program in
Development Research Projects (DRPs) that will foster early career faculty, cross CCRC participation, and
innovative ideas. The AdC will solicit, evaluate, award, and monitor the DRPs throughout the life of the
VIRV-CCRC. Outreach will include our virtual seminar program and online forums to support the Valley
Fever clinical and research communities, particular to other NIAID CCRC’s. Professional development,
training, and mentoring of students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty will be encouraged and
supported by the AdC. Scientific working groups within and across the NIAID Cocci Centers will be fostered
with the seminar series, travel funds, and joint pilot projects. The VIRV-CCRC team members will be
expected to collaborate extensively and to produce relevant and impactful scientific products, including
potentially a novel vaccine ready for clinical trials.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10899652
- **Project number:** 5U19AI166058-03
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Paul Stephen Keim
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $189,300
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-08-24 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10899652

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10899652, Early in vivo expressed antigens and their role in virulence, immune response, and vaccines for coccidioidomycosis (5U19AI166058-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10899652. Licensed CC0.

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