Molecular Mechanisms of Combination Adjuvants (MMCA) (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
This grant supports research on how different vaccine adjuvants work together to enhance immune responses for designing better vaccines.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
National Institutes of Health has archived this opportunity.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: May 10, 2025 (Open) | June 10, 2025 (Application) | June 11, 2025 (Expiration)
Funding Amounts: Up to $500,000 direct costs/year; max 5 years; total program funding ~$2.56M/year for 4–6 awards
Summary: Supports research on the molecular and immunological mechanisms by which two or more vaccine adjuvants work together, to inform rational vaccine design.
Key Information: Clinical trials are not allowed; strong focus on mechanistic studies using validated adjuvants in animal and/or human in vitro models.
Description
This opportunity, offered by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at NIH, funds research to elucidate the molecular and immunological mechanisms of combination vaccine adjuvants. The goal is to understand how two or more adjuvants, each with demonstrated immune-modulating activity, work together to enhance or modulate immune responses. Insights gained are intended to improve the rational design of vaccines by enabling prediction of immune profiles elicited by specific adjuvant combinations.
The program emphasizes mechanistic studies—rather than vaccine development or efficacy testing—using animal models and/or in vitro human systems. Projects must investigate at least one combination of previously validated adjuvants, with a strong rationale for the chosen combinations. Inclusion of non-Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists is encouraged.
Annual meetings and collaborative activities among awardees are required, with a portion of the budget set aside for intra-program collaboration.
