There are five known Ebolavirus species: Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus); Sudan virus (Sudan ebolavirus or SUDV); Taï Forest virus (Taï Forest ebolavirus, formerly Cote d'Ivoire ebolavirus); Bundibugyo virus (Bundibugyo ebolavirus); and Reston virus (Reston ebolavirus). Last year an ebolavirus outbreak resulted in 164 cases and 55 deaths. While there is an FDA-approved Ebola virus vaccine authorized for use against Ebola virus infections, ERVEBO, this vaccine is not effective against SUDV due to the significant variation between Ebola virus and SUDV.

Influenza A and B viruses can cause seasonal flu epidemics ― commonly known as the “flu season” ― and infect the nose, throat, eyes, and lungs in humans. Typically, flu seasons that are dominated by influenza A (H3N2) virus activity have higher associated hospitalizations and deaths in at-risk groups, such as people ages 65 and older and young children. Influenza A (H3N2) virus can also cause respiratory disease in animals, such as canines and swine.

In 2022, the World Health Organization declared an atypical outbreak of monkeypox (Mpox), which has caused approximately 30,000 cases of Mpox infection within the United States as of April 2023. Mpox represents a current threat to public health, and there is an immediate need for an effective vaccine. To address this, NIAID has developed a vaccine approach comprising virus-like nanoparticles coated with modified Mpox proteins.

Researchers at the Vaccine Research Center (“VRC”) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (“NAID”) continue to pursue a safe and effective HIV-1 vaccine to combat the HIV-1/AIDS pandemic.

This technology includes an IgA antibody, specifically designed to target the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19. Administered intranasally, this antibody has potential neutralizing activity, aiming to prevent COVID-19. IgA, an antibody class present in mucosal areas, plays a crucial role in immune defense at the initial site of viral infection. The primary application of this technology is envisioned as a therapeutic nasal spray, intended to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly in high-risk populations.

Toxoplasma gondii is the zoonotic causative agent of toxoplasmosis, a disease of significant concern for pregnant persons and livestock. A member of the phylum Apicomplexa, Toxoplasma gondii can infect almost any cell type found in mammals and birds. There are multiple transmission pathways, including consumption of undercooked meat from infected animals, consumption of unwashed plants, contaminated water supplies, blood transfers, and congenital transfer. Felines are considered the definitive host of Toxoplasma gondii.

Lassa Hemorrhagic Fever (LHF) is a serious disease caused by infection with Lassa virus (LASV) – highly prevalent in West Africa and spreading globally. LASV is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates, annually infecting 100,000 to 300,000 individuals and causing 5,000 deaths. Developing prophylactics and treatment for LASV is difficult due to challenges in inducing neutralizing antibodies and producing their target, the LASV glycoprotein trimer (GPC).

Scientists at NIAID have developed two immortalized stable B cell lines from rhesus macaques that can have value as research tools for the discovery of neutralizing antibodies of simian origin against HIV and that may have value in the development of an HIV vaccine. These B cell lines encode human Bcl-6 and Bcl-xL proteins, which are major regulators of apoptosis. These B cell lines are derived from the lymph node of a rhesus macaque (RM) that was infected with SHIV.CH505.

Despite four decades of intensive research, a safe and effective HIV-1 vaccine remains elusive due to the extreme difficulty in eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), which recognize and block HIV-1 from entering healthy cells. Only rare natural HIV-1 envelopes (Envs) promote the activation and expansion of naive B cells expressing unmutated germline antibodies of various bNAb lineages, but they typically do so for a single lineage for the same neutralization site.