# A Tunable Nanophage Platform for Vaccine Development

> **NIH NIH R56** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2024 · $726,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Newly emerging and long-standing infectious challenges, including arboviruses, Ebola virus and pandemic
coronaviruses (CoVs), among others, pose serious public health concerns. Additionally, the potential use of
biological agents as weapons of mass destruction poses an ongoing threat to humanity. All of these issues
have in common the need for development strategies that allow for the rapid design, screening and
formulation of potential vaccine candidates. We have developed a “designer nanoparticle” platform based on
λ phage-like particles, or nanophages (NPs), that can display multiple antigenic biomolecules alone and in
combination in rigorously defined ratios. The NPs can be rapidly modified to screen and evaluate potential
vaccine candidates against newly emerging threats. Herein we propose to develop tools and technologies for
rapid screening of multivalent vaccine candidates effective for current and emerging SARS-CoVs and pre-
emergent SARS-like CoVs. We will engineer “second generation” nanophages (NPs) that display the spike
receptor binding domain (RBD) for these pathogens, the primary target of neutralizing antibody (Ab)
responses. Physiochemical and structural characterization of the preparations will be employed to ensure
that they possess properties that are appropriate for a pharmaceutical preparation. We will also employ a
novel atomic layer deposition technology to generate thermostable, timed-release, single-shot vaccine
formulations that reduce or eliminate onerous “cold-chain” requirements for their distribution. We further
propose to determine the immunogenicity and protective capacity of mosaic NPs engineered to
simultaneously display multiple antigens. These studies will identify vaccine candidates that elicit potent,
durable, and broad neutralizing Ab and T cell responses and protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2
variants and pre-emergent SARS-like bat CoVs. In addition to developing this powerful platform and
implementing novel formulation strategies, these studies will help define mechanisms of immunogenicity and
develop a platform for the rapid engineering of vaccine candidates for existing and untoward emerging
biological threats. In sum, this application seeks to provide compelling evidence that the  nanophage system
provides a platform for facile and rapid generation, and formulation of highly active multi-antigen presenting
vaccines.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11136699
- **Project number:** 1R56AI186400-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Carlos Enrique Catalano
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $726,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-20 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11136699

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11136699, A Tunable Nanophage Platform for Vaccine Development (1R56AI186400-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11136699. Licensed CC0.

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