Overview of Solicitation
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), partnered with the Vaccine Innovation and Therapeutics Accelerator Launchpad (VITAL), have announced a solicitation for proposals to address current limitations of long-acting nucleic acid-based platforms used as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for seasonal respiratory viruses. The specific goals of these PrEP DEV awards include improvement in targeted organ delivery and drug half life of nucleic acid-based therapeutics over the current baseline. Academic innovators, non-profit entities, for-profit startups, and other companies around the world are invited to apply for these PrEP DEV awards.
Key Proposal Information
To be considered, proposals should include platforms meeting at least one of the following requirements:
- Platform must demonstrate improvements in targeted drug delivery to the upper and lower respiratory tracts.
- Platform must demonstrate improvements in half-life extension of the drug(s).
- If already delivering the drug directly to the upper and lower respiratory tracts, the proposed research plan must include half-life extension in addition to targeted delivery.
- If delivering the drug systemically, the proposed research plan must include half-life extension and/or targeted delivery improvement.
- The platform should not be anticipated to cause respiratory complications or other significant toxicities in people with or without comorbidities.
Additional Considerations
- As a part of the proposal, offerors should provide clear, timed milestones and metrics that objectively measure the advancement of the platform
- This solicitation is target agnostic, but payloads targeting seasonal and pandemic influenza increase the strength of the proposal.
- While not required, future funding from the BARDA IEIDD Therapeutics Program for advanced development of a product would require activity against seasonal and pandemic influenza.
Important Deadlines
Pre-applications are due January 15th, 2025. Eligible proposers will receive full application invitations by mid-February. PrEP DEV awards can be used to fund development activities taking up to 3 years.
If your company has considered applying for BARDA funding, your federal funding journey starts here. EverGlade Consulting is a national firm that helps organizations win and manage federal awards.
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