Existing components at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute form the effort’s infrastructure
The Duke Human Vaccine Institute has received a $12.8 million, 30-month grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a system capable of halting viral pandemics within 60 days.
The program, called DARPA Pandemic Prevention Platform (P3), seeks to combine expertise in virology, immunology and clinical manufacturing to rapidly identify and respond to disease outbreaks such as SARS, pandemic influenza and Zika before they spread widely.
“Naturally occurring infection with highly pathogenic, influenza strain remains a significant global challenge to both civilians and the U.S. military,” said Barton Haynes, M.D., director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. “As a result, there is a critical need for fast-acting antiviral countermeasures, such as therapeutic antibodies, that can be rapidly isolated, evolved, manufactured, and safely delivered.
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