Scripps Research scientists receive up to $12M to create universal vaccine for alphaviruses Funding from ARPA-H will be used to develop a vaccine for alphaviruses in preparation of major outbreaks in the U.S.
December 04, 2024
LA JOLLA, CA Alphaviruses often cause a range of illnesses that lead to fever, rash and debilitating joint pain. While they're historically prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions of the world where virus-transmitting mosquitos are abundant, these mosquitos are expanding to new terrain including the U.S. as global warming intensifies. Alphavirus diseases like eastern equine encephalitis, which inflames the brain and can lead to death, are among the country's emerging threats against which no human vaccine is available.
Despite various efforts in the works to develop vaccines for specific alphaviruses, there's currently no universal vaccine to broadly target a range of virus strains. That means as alphaviruses become more widespread, people will need several jabs rather than one assuming specific vaccines become available.
Now, a collaboration among Scripps Research, Vanderbilt University and others has been awarded more than $46 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a research funding agency of the U.S. government, to develop a universal vaccine against alphaviruses. Scripps Research will receive up to $12 million for its contribution to the project, which is expected to last five years.
The principal investigators at Scripps Research include Torben Schiffner, PhD, who leads immunogen design at the institute; Darrell Irvine, PhD, a professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology; Andrew Ward, PhD, a professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology; and Ian Wilson, PhD, who chairs the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology and is the Hansen Professor of Structural Biology.
This award combines experts in artificial intelligence (AI) with vaccinologists to accomplish a great deal over a short time span, says Schiffner, who is the lead principal investigator on the award at Scripps Research. We're going to hear a lot more about alphaviruses in the future, and there already have been minor outbreaks in the U.S.
The money from ARPA-H will fund a two-stage project: After a three-year preclinical stage to create an immunogen candidate, the molecule will enter a phase 1 clinical trial for two years if it performs well preclinically. An immunogen is a substance that activates the immune system, helping the body recognize and fight harmful agents like viruses. This is a primary step in vaccine development, as scientists design an immunogen to mimic parts of a virus that way, when the resulting vaccine is administered, the body can learn how to defend itself even if it has never been exposed to the actual virus.
The principal investigators at Scripps Research plan to synergize their deep-seated knowledge in vaccinology with AI-expertise at other institutes, chiefly Vanderbilt University. Collaborators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will isolate alphavirus antibodies from people who have survived alphavirus-related infections, particularly those that protect against different alphaviruses. The team at Scripps Research will use these antibodies to guide vaccine design. Initially, they will determine the structure of antibodies and how they bind to alphaviruses.
We need to understand where broadly protective antibodies attack and bind to the virus, Schiffner says. We can then use this information to design immunogens that focus antibodies onto regions conserved across alphaviruses.
The team has already identified several such cross-protective antibodies, providing valuable blueprints for immunogen design.
Normally, if you try to immunize with an entire virus, most of the antibodies will target regions that aren't conserved among different viruses, so you get a vaccine that only works for a particular strain, Schiffner explains. There are very few regions that seem to be conserved across alphaviruses, and those are the regions that we want to target for broad protection against all alphaviruses.
Next is testing various immunogen designs with computer models that include AI algorithms. If a design seems promising, it's tested in vitro and in vivo.
But the role of AI doesn't end there; data from ensuing in vitro and in vivo experimentation are fed back to the AI system, which can rapidly analyze antibody sequences, determine whether the immunogen is focusing antibodies on regions conserved across variants, and provide improved algorithms for reoptimizing the vaccine design.
We'll find out if the antibodies actually target the regions that they're supposed to, Schiffner says. And once we get the AI results, we can use the information to improve our immunogen before the next stages; it's an iterative process.
The anticipated result: a broad vaccine that targets both encephalitic and arthritogenic alphaviruses that cause brain or joint inflammation, respectively. Moreover, the algorithms developed for this project could potentially be applied to other viruses, including influenza and HIV.
But the main goal is to have an effective, broad vaccines for alphaviruses before they become a major problem. emphasizes Schiffner.
Immunology & Microbiology Integrative Structural & Computational Biology
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
06/07/2026
Long-developed relationships and informal access, three production models, and c...
06/07/2026
The deal follows Lumine's recent acquisition of Synamedia's video-networ...
06/07/2026
This former SportsCenter producer is shaping local-team studio coverage to surro...
06/07/2026
IMS Productions and FOX Sports deployed more than 100 cameras, 32 onboard feeds,...
06/07/2026
Lumine Group Inc. has announced the completion of its acquisition of the Video Network Business from Synamedia. The business will operate as a standalone compan...
06/07/2026
NASCAR has announced a content and commercial partnership with Motorsport Network, a motorsports and automotive media platform, to distribute NASCAR original co...
06/07/2026
Versant Media Group has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Full Swing, a sports technology company, from Bruin Capital and a group of minority investor...
06/07/2026
DAZN has announced global broadcast rights to 3ICE, a professional hockey format featuring three skaters and a goalkeeper per side, with no power plays or offsi...
06/07/2026
Bundle gains 100 new synths & more
Synth Anthology 5 the largest and most feature-packed edition of UVI's hardware synth emulation bundle, bringing toge...
06/07/2026
Available now via free firmware update
MOTU have just announced that three of their popular audio interfaces now boast official Milan Certification. The 16A...
06/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz completes Hunter Preliminary Design Review for the Integrated Co...
06/07/2026
The R&S IMAGER from Rohde & Schwarz uses millimeter wave imaging to inspect the ...
06/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
06/07/2026
Digital Domain Appoints Industry Veteran Patrick Davenport as Executive Vice Pre...
06/07/2026
Gravity Media USA appoints Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development
Brie Clayton July 6, 2026
0 Comments
The strategic new appointment supports...
06/07/2026
Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage in Resolve
Michael Cioni July 6, 2026
0 Comments
This is a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to setup your...
06/07/2026
Automatic Caption Translation in Adobe Premiere Pro
Colin Smith July 6, 2026
0 Comments
Here I showcase the innovative automatic caption translation f...
06/07/2026
Flavor's First Ever Managing Director Neal Cohen Retires; Longstanding Execu...
06/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might think...
06/07/2026
Zhongyi Optics unveils the Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series on Indiegogo with ...
06/07/2026
Techtel debuts insyght: making ST 2110 media discovery easy
intellisphereinsyght2026
6 July Written By Suzanne Costello
Sydney, Australia - 06 July 2026 T...
06/07/2026
Monday 6 July 2026
Sky agrees to acquire ITV Media & Entertainment, creating a ...
06/07/2026
Fresh from his World Cup heroics with Cabo Verde, Roberto Pico' Lopes will join the RT panel for Argentina v Egypt tomorrow and for the England v Norway q...
06/07/2026
Nations have long invested in domestic infrastructure to advance their economies, protect and use their data, and take advantage of technology opportunities in ...
06/07/2026
Every year, the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) reveals where thousands of AI researchers have decided to put their work.
This year's ...
06/07/2026
A death can be unsuspicious, but it has to be explained
What happened to Ke...
05/07/2026
We've gone to another level of integrating the graphics into the set architecture' - Zac Fields, SVP, Graphic Technology and Integration, FOX Sports...
05/07/2026
Browser-based and desktop apps available
Digital Sunset Studios have been busy working on an interesting project: a free software tool that provides compute...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
Scripps Research scientists receive up to $12M to create universal vaccine for alphaviruses Funding from ARPA-H will be used to develop a vaccine for alphaviruses in preparation of major outbreaks in the U.S.
