SEATTLE, Dec. 4, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The
Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) has been
awarded an $1.8 million contract from the Biomedical Advance
Research and Development Authority (BARDA). IDRI’s work will focus
on development of adjuvant formulations with options up to $8.5
million over three years when further development and manufacture
of priority candidates are approved by the agency.
“BARDA is supporting an important expansion of IDRI’s technology
to solutions that address Neglected Diseases as well as those that
affect us all in the United States,” says Dr. Darrick Carter,
Director of Formulations at IDRI and Principal Investigator on the
BARDA influenza contract. Adjuvants and other immunostimulants can
improve the body’s immune response to diseases like influenza, in
turn, reducing the amount of vaccine needed for protection
(dose-sparing). The use of adjuvants will allow for expansion of
vaccine supply to meet the necessary global demands during a
pandemic.
BARDA is within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.
The project is part of the innovations portfolio awarded out of
BARDA’s Strategic Science and Technology Division’s Innovation BAA
(Broad Agency Announcement).
About IDRI’s Adjuvants
Adjuvants are compounds used to improve the body’s immune
response to vaccines. Adjuvant technology is proving invaluable in
the development of vaccines for serious diseases for which vaccines
are not currently available, including malaria and HIV.
Adjuvants are a key research component of IDRI’s malaria,
tuberculosis, leishmaniasis and leprosy vaccine development
programs — supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the American
Leprosy Missions.
About IDRI – Translating science into global health
solutions
IDRI is a Seattle-based
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