SBIR Phase II: Design and production of a next generation vaccine to prevent COVID

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛影响是开发下一代COVID-19疫苗，以解决当前疫苗的弱点。虽然目前的COVID-19疫苗挽救了无数生命，并使我们的社会恢复了正常，但它们也有弱点。助推器有时是无效的，当它们有效时，它们的功效是短暂的，它们可能有轻微到严重的副作用。这些弱点不仅使个人面临感染COVID或产生副作用的风险，而且还会损害人们对疫苗的信心，从而影响疫苗的依从性。拟议的项目承诺生产下一代疫苗，该疫苗具有更好的效力，显著减少副作用，并延长有效时间。这可能为制定有效的针对新毒株的疫苗加强剂年度注射计划铺平道路，就像季节性流感疫苗一样。该项目的目的是开发出新一代疫苗，恢复人们对预防新冠肺炎疫苗接种的信心。该项目的目标是证明候选疫苗不仅可以产生免疫反应，阻止病毒的传播，而且还可以杀死病毒。此外，希望该项目将证明该疫苗比目前的疫苗更安全，并且它促进的免疫反应比目前的疫苗持续的时间长得多。这将通过在模拟人类呼吸系统的仓鼠模型中测试疫苗来完成。不仅要测试有效性，而且还要测试免疫反应的持续时间。作为这项研究的另一项目标，将审查给药途径。疫苗的有效性将通过注射、鼻注射或微针贴片进行比较。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to develop a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine that addresses the weaknesses of the current vaccines. While the current COVID-19 vaccines have saved countless lives and have allowed our society to get back to normal, they have their weaknesses. The boosters are sometimes not effective, and when they are, they have short-lived efficacy and they can have mild to severe side effects. These weaknesses not only put individuals at risk of getting sick with COVID or the side effects, but those weaknesses also compromise confidence in the vaccine, which affects compliance. The proposed project promises to produce a next-generation vaccine that has better efficacy and significantly reduced side effects, as well as increased duration of effectiveness. This could pave the way for an effective annual administration schedule of the vaccine booster that addresses new strains, much like the seasonal influenza vaccine. The proposed project intends to produce a next-generation vaccine that can renew confidence in vaccinating to prevent COVID-19. The project's objectives are to show that the vaccine candidate can not only create an immune response that can stop the spread of the virus but also kill the virus. Additionally, it is hoped that the project will show that the vaccine is safer than the current vaccines and that it promotes an immune response that lasts significantly longer than current vaccines. This will be accomplished by testing the vaccine in a Hamster model that simulates the human respiratory system well. Not only will efficacy be tested, but the longevity of the immune response will also be tested. As an additional objective of the study, the route of administration will be examined. The vaccine's effectiveness will be compared by administering it either through injection, nasal administration, or a microneedle patch.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.