Adjuvant Comparison and Characterization

The purpose of this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is to solicit proposals for a research program that includes the comparison of multiple adjuvants using various vaccine/antigen platforms. The comparative studies will establish immunological profiles ("immune fingerprints") of adjuvants that work through different mechanisms to evaluate strength, quality, breadth, and durability of responses using: 1. "omics" technology platforms such as genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, RNAi screens, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, and glycomics; 2. T cell functional assays (e.g., cytotoxicity, cytokine production, epitope specificity); and 3. B cell and antibody profiles to include assessment of isotype, avidity, epitope fine-specificity, and systems serology.