June 2018 DAIDS Council-Approved Concepts

Concepts represent early planning stages for program announcements, requests for applications, or solicitations for Council's input. If NIAID publishes an initiative from one of these concepts, we link to it below. To find initiatives, go to Opportunities & Announcements.

NB: Council approval does not guarantee that a concept will become an initiative.

Table of Contents

Genetic Engineering Technologies for HIV Cure Research

For the published request for applications, see the November 29, 2018 Guide announcement, Genetic Engineering Technologies for HIV Cure Research (U19 Clinical Trial Optional).

Single-Cell Multi-Omics of HIV Persistence

For the published request for applications, see the November 13, 2018 Guide announcement, Single-Cell Multi-Omics of HIV Persistence (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed).

Simian Vaccine Evaluation Units

For the published request for proposals, see the December 4, 2018 solicitation, Simian Vaccine Evaluation Units (SVEUs).

Clinical Research Products Management Center (CRPMC)

Request for Proposals—proposed FY 2020 initiative

Contact: Kishan Patel

Objective: This contract provides for the continued operations of a Clinical Research Products Management Center (CRPMC) needed to support NIAID’s clinical trials with the core focus of HIV/AIDS and its co-morbidities. This initiative will have options to provide limited support for clinical trials across NIAID. The CRPMC must adhere to current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) and Good Clinical Practice. The contract requires full compliance with 21 CFR and ICH6 regulations as well as flexible and responsive communication systems between over 200 clinical sites worldwide, NIAID staff, and Network Leadership Groups. Cost-effective, timely, and regulatory compliant acquisition, receiving, processing, storage, and shipping are essential to meet investigational new drug sponsor’s obligations delegated to the contractor. The contract also provides expert services needed to evaluate and address clinical site pharmacy responsibilities and performance.

Description: This contract meets NIAID’s responsibility for the comprehensive management of study products essential to NIAID-sponsored clinical trials. In some cases, the contractor provides site pharmacy support.

These activities will include but are not limited to:

  • Provide and maintain physical facilities, equipment, and data systems for the full range of study product activities that are fully compliant with domestic and international regulatory requirements as well as U.S. federal information technology standards.
  • Provide a web-based, secure, accessible, and real-time clinical study product inventory management system.
  • Receive shipments of clinical study products (e.g., therapeutics, vaccines, biologics).
  • Store and maintain clinical study products under appropriate and secure conditions.
  • Provide expertise needed to facilitate importing and exporting clinical study products for international and domestic studies.
  • Distribute study products to authorized investigators both domestically and internationally.
  • Repackage clinical study products and/or package product kits for clinical trial protocols in accordance with cGMP and other applicable regulations.
  • Design product labels in compliance with FDA and international regulatory requirements and design.
  • Recall and process study product returns, which may include:
    • Returning study product to the manufacturer
    • Coordinating the destruction of unused study products as directed
    • Verifying unused quantities and witnessing product destruction at international sites
  • Provide clinical site pharmacy support, including review of site pharmacy monitoring reports and site pharmacy staff training for pharmacy and study product management.

Patient Safety Monitoring in International Laboratories (SMILE)

For the published request for proposals, see the September 14, 2018 solicitation, Patient Safety Monitoring In International Laboratories (SMILE).

Data Management and Data Warehousing

Request for Proposals—proposed FY 2019 initiative

Contact: Kate Stotish

Objective: This contract will provide and support Clinical Data Management System (CDMS) and Data Warehousing and Reporting Tools (DWRT) for clinical studies implemented by the Vaccine Research Center’s (VRC) Clinical Trials Program (CTP) and collaborators.

Description: This initiative will support a CDMS and DWRT for clinical research to provide comprehensive and consistent data management support for the VRC’s CTP. The CTP implements natural history, therapeutic, and preventative clinical trials to test candidate products such as vaccines and immunomodulators for a range of infectious diseases. These services may be provided for trials activated at single or multiple sites that are domestic and/or international.

Specifically, the contract will provide a comprehensive array of data management support services, including protocol-specific web-based data collection plans/programming, management, and quality control; statistical consultation and reporting, design, and analysis; assistance in study materials development with related web-based reports and training; creating Data Collection Forms, electronic specimen tracking; adverse events dictionary and reconciliation, providing Regulatory Tracking System, and data reports to support safety/regulatory/security requirements and report on study progress. The contract will also create, manage, and maintain a secure, compliant repository for current and historical clinical trials outcomes data and analyses, while allowing instant accessibility of integrated and standardized data via advanced analytics and visualization reporting tools with web-based access.

Approaches for Understanding Disease Mechanisms and Improving Outcomes in TB Meningitis

For the published program announcement with special receipt, referral, and/or review considerations, see the June 7, 2018 Guide announcement, Approaches for Understanding Disease Mechanisms and Improving Outcomes in TB Meningitis (TBM) (R01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed).

Characterization of Mycobacterial Induced Immunity in HIV‐Infected and Uninfected Individuals

For the published program announcement with special receipt, referral, and/or review considerations, see the September 17, 2018 Guide announcement, Characterization of Mycobacterial Induced Immunity in HIV-infected and Uninfected Individuals (R21, Clinical Trial Not Allowed).

CNS‐Targeted Drug Delivery Strategies for HIV

For the published request for applications, see the August 8, 2018 Guide announcement, CNS-Targeted Drug Delivery Strategies for HIV (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed).

Engaging Men in HIV Testing, Prevention, and Care

For the published program announcements, see the November 1, 2018 Guide announcements, Engaging Men in HIV Testing, Prevention, and Care (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) and Engaging Men in HIV Testing, Prevention, and Care (R21 Clinical Trial Optional).

Next Generation Multipurpose (NGM) Prevention Technologies

Program Announcement With Special Receipt, Referral, and/or Review Considerations—proposed FY 2020 initiative

Contact: Jim Turpin

Objective: The objectives of this initiative are consistent with the overarching NIH AIDS Priorities outlined in NOT-OD-15-137, NIH HIV/AIDS Research Priorities and Guidelines for Determining AIDS Funding.

Reducing Incidence of HIV/AIDS including: developing and testing promising vaccines; developing and testing microbicide and pre-exposure prophylaxis candidates and methods of delivery, especially those that mitigate adherence issues; and developing, testing, and implementing strategies to improve HIV testing and entry into prevention services.

Description: This initiative will support the developing multipurpose prevention technologies (MPT) for preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STI). For the purposes of DAIDS, the focus will be on licensed contraceptives combined with anti-HIV drugs (licensed or unlicensed). Applicants may propose any combination of a prevention and contraception product that uses a sustained release platform to provide the minimal windows of efficacy/protection identified below. The overarching objective will be to establish a pipeline of MPT candidates.

All proposed MPT approaches must address a minimal window of protection of 30 days or 1 menstrual cycle from either a single dose regimen (injection) or continuous dosing regimen (e.g., implant, transdermal patch). Development of longer durations of protection and durations congruent when a licensed contraceptive is incorporated into the MPT will be encouraged. Co-packaging as an MPT strategy of an existing licensed hormonal contraceptive and a licensed antiviral strategy will be discouraged.

Clinical trials are optional. When clinical trials are proposed, they are expected to concentrate on identifying Preferred User Characteristics (PUC) to increase potential user’s adherence. PUCs are defined as the look and feel properties of the sustained drug delivery system that will influence potential user’s decisions for initial, continued, and habitual use. Clinical trials posed solely for first-in-human testing and/or to determine the safety/efficacy of proposed MPTs will be actively discouraged.

Sustained Release of Antivirals for Treatment or Prevention of HIV (SRATP)

Program Announcement With Special Receipt, Referral, and/or Review Considerations—proposed FY 2020 initiative

Contact: Jim Turpin

Objective: The objectives of this initiative are consistent with the Division’s priorities:

  • Halt the spread of HIV infection by defining highly effective prevention strategies, including a preventive vaccine
  • Cure HIV infection
  • Improve outcomes of treated HIV disease

Description: This initiative will support developing sustained release strategies for HIV prevention and treatment. Applicants may propose any combination of prevention and treatment products and sustained release platforms that will provide minimal windows of efficacy/protection identified below. The overarching objective will be to establish a pipeline of sustained release prevention and treatment candidates.

To meet the sustained release needs of the treatment and prevention fields the following definition and types of sustained release will be solicited:

1. Treatment sustained release: Oral therapy sustained release strategies must have a window of effectiveness of at least seven days from a single dose. Other sustained release approaches for therapy must have a minimal window of protection of 30 days from either a single dose regimen (injection) or continuous dosing regimen (implant, transdermal patch).
2. Prevention sustained release: All sustained release strategies designed to prevent HIV infection must have a minimum window of protection of 30 days from either a single dose regimen (injection) or continuous dosing regimen (implant, transdermal patch).

For all forms of sustained release development, applicants are encouraged to develop sustained release strategies that provide longer windows of therapy or protection than the minimal windows identified above.

Content last reviewed on December 10, 2018