U19AI171954

Midwest Avidd Center - Overall

The Midwest Avidd Center abstract

The Midwest Anti-Viral Drug Development (Avidd) Center was formalized as a direct response to NIAID U19 RFA RFA-AI-21-050 "Emergency Awards: Avidd Centers for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern". The Co-PIs of the Midwest Avidd Center are Reuben Harris and Fang Li, who have deep experience in functional and structural virology, respectively, and in leading multidisciplinary teams to successful outcomes.

The majority of our center investigators were already working together in various capacities when this RFA was announced, and the RFA catalyzed the nucleation of our comprehensive multidisciplinary center focused on innovative antiviral drug development. The primary target of the Midwest Avidd Center is SARS-CoV-2 (SARS2), with all five projects targeting essential viral processes (two for cell entry and projects for proteolytic cleavage, nucleolytic digestion, and RNA helicase activity).

We purposely selected a balance of well-established antiviral drug targets (entry, protease), as well as less conventional targets with equally promising long-term potential (nuclease, helicase). All five projects require integrated and highly collaborative support from five distinct service cores for administration, screening, chemistry, structural and computational biology, and virology.

A major strength of the Midwest Avidd Center is a 3-pronged screening approach [ultra-high throughput screening (UHTS), DNA-encoded chemistry technology (DEC-TEC), and virtual screening (VS)] to maximize chemical space and obtain favorable starting points for antiviral drug development. Each project will also pursue inhibitors of the same assigned target for an additional RNA virus of pandemic potential - the arenaviruses Lassa virus (LASV) and Machupo virus (MACV), the filovirus Ebola virus (EBOV), and the flavivirus Zika virus (ZIKV). Each project therefore has a built-in capacity to assess inhibitor specificity throughout the course of drug development.

Thus, the overall activities of the Midwest Avidd Center are organized into two specific aims. The first aim is dedicated to research and development, where our five projects and five cores leverage a combination of established and innovative approaches to develop novel, high potency, and orally available inhibitors of essential viral proteins required for pathogenesis of SARS2 and the other viruses with pandemic potential. The second is dedicated to interdisciplinary training, education, and outreach. Interdisciplinary training is vital for both addressing the current COVID-19 pandemic as well as for preparing for the next one. Education and outreach are also essential to achieve immediate and long-term impacts.

Major deliverables will therefore be novel antiviral lead compounds for further development by industry partners and, equally important, a well-trained group of antiviral researchers including next-generation experts and leaders. Both deliverables will have lasting, long-term impacts, hopefully contributing to ending the current pandemic and becoming better prepared for future viral outbreaks and stopping them before reaching pandemic levels.

Regents Of The University Of Minnesota

TO ASSIST PUBLIC AND PRIVATE NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO ESTABLISH, EXPAND AND IMPROVE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND RELATED AREAS, TO CONDUCT DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH, TO PRODUCE AND TEST RESEARCH MATERIALS. TO ASSIST PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO CONDUCT DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH, TO PRODUCE AND TEST RESEARCH MATERIALS, TO PROVIDE RESEARCH SERVICES AS REQUIRED BY THE AGENCY FOR PROGRAMS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES, AND CONTROLLING DISEASE CAUSED BY INFECTIOUS OR PARASITIC AGENTS, ALLERGIC AND IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASES AND RELATED AREAS. PROJECTS RANGE FROM STUDIES OF MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND ANTIGENIC STRUCTURE TO COLLABORATIVE TRIALS OF EXPERIMENTAL DRUGS AND VACCINES, MECHANISMS OF RESISTANCE TO ANTIBIOTICS AS WELL AS RESEARCH DEALING WITH EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS OR COMMUNITY POPULATIONS AND PROGRESS IN ALLERGIC AND IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASES. BECAUSE OF THIS DUAL FOCUS, THE PROGRAM ENCOMPASSES BOTH BASIC RESEARCH AND CLINICAL RESEARCH. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM EXPANDS AND IMPROVES PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH. THE SBIR PROGRAM INTENDS TO INCREASE AND FACILITATE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. THE SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM STIMULATES AND FOSTERS SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. RESEARCH CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTISTS DURING THE FORMATIVE STAGES OF THEIR CAREERS. INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS (NRSAS) ARE MADE DIRECTLY TO APPROVE APPLICANTS FOR RESEARCH TRAINING IN SPECIFIED BIOMEDICAL SHORTAGE AREAS. IN ADDITION, INSTITUTIONAL NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS ARE MADE TO ENABLE INSTITUTIONS TO SELECT AND MAKE AWARDS TO INDIVIDUALS TO RECEIVE TRAINING UNDER THE AEGIS OF THEIR INSTITUTIONAL PROGRAM.

93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) [HHS - NIH]

Minnesota United States

State-Wide

Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Centers for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern (U19 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-AI-21-050)

COVID-19 $66,431,207 (99%) percent of this Cooperative Agreement was funded by COVID-19 emergency acts including the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 04/30/25 to 04/30/26 and the total obligations have increased from $66,431,207 to $66,881,972.