HHS awards more than $500M to advance vaccines, therapeutics

Oct. 13 (UPI) -- The Department of Health and Human Services has announced over $500 million in awards to help advance vaccines and therapeutics.

"The over $500 million announced today builds on the over $1.4 billion awarded in August -- accelerating products toward clinical trials and potential commercial availability," the Department of Health and Human services said in a press release Friday.

The funds were announced via the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response and are being awarded at least in part via the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

"By investing in the next-generation vaccines and treatments, we can improve our ability to respond to new variants, reduce transmission, stop infections, and save lives. Through Project NextGen, we are combining research and development expertise at HHS with the lessons learned throughout the pandemic to protect our nation from COVID-19," said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.

HHS said the next-generation of vaccines would target broader, and "longer lasting immune responses."

CastleVax has been allocated $8.5 million for a "vector-based intranasal vaccine candidate."

Codagenix has been allocated $10 million for a "live-attenuated intranasal vaccine candidate."

Gritstone Bio has also been allocated $10 million for a "self-amplifying mRNA vaccine candidate."

Over $240 million is being allocated for companies providing services that support vaccine research and implementation, like transportation, test kits, and research.

BioInfoExperts has been granted $4 million "to provide genomic sequencing of COVID-19."

Meso Scale Diagnostics has been awarded $23.2 million "to develop and manufacture multiplexed COVID-19 antibody test kits."

American Type Culture Collection has been awarded $87 million "to provide cold-chain and specimen lifecycle management."

PPD was awarded $126.5 million "to provide a central laboratory capacity that analyzes immune responses from samples collecting during Project NextGen vaccine clinical trial."

$250 million are being awarded "to support new technologies that will improve national preparedness for future COVID-19 outbreaks.

Battelle will be awarded $6.1 million "to advance human lung and airway tissue chip platform technology."

The UK Health Security Agency has been awarded $5.8 million for the same purpose.

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory has been granted $10.5 million "to advance development of tissue chip platform technology."

Evidation has been awarded $20 million "to test the use of commercial wearables for early respiratory illness detection and a home specimen sampling capability."

Vir Biotechnology has been awarded $40 million "to support the development of mRNA-expressed monoclonal antibodies."

ModeX Therapeutics has been awarded $59 million "to develop a monoclonal antibody for COVID-19 pre-exposure prophylaxis that can bind to multiple sites on the virus."