Administrative Core

Project Summary/Abstract - Administrative Core We are proposing the creation of the UC Irvine Vaccines for Pandemic Preparedness Center (VPPC), a consortium that will conduct basic and translational research to develop vaccines against prototype members of the Bunyavirus, Paramyxovirus and Picornavirus families Two universal, programmable, rapid response vaccine platforms will be characterized and compared in this study: the i) Adjuvanted Recombinant Protein (ARP) Vaccine, and ii) mRNA/Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) Vaccine. Such prototype vaccines will need to be tested in advance, at a minimum, for clinical safety and immunogenicity, and efficacy where possible, so that emerging viruses in the same family can be rapidly and safely deployed. The Administrative (Admin) Core will serve as the organizational hub for all scientific and programmatic activities. The overall goal of the Core will be to centralize these activities while promoting efficiency in operations and transparency regarding the VPPC for core and project investigators, the ReVAMPP network, the UCI community and our partner universities, our industry collaborators, our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), and the public. The Admin Core features outstanding scientific leadership who will actively oversee and integrate the activities of the program's five research projects, three scientific cores, and data management core. The Core Director, Dr. Philip Felgner is Professor of Physiology & Biophysics at the UC Irvine School of Medicine and Director of the UCI Vaccine Research and Development Center (VRDC) and the Protein Microarray Laboratory and Training Facility. He has vast expertise in vaccine discovery research and a successful track record in directing program projects funded by NIH after moving to academia from industry. He will work closely with the project and core leads, industry partners, and the program's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) comprised of leaders from large pharmaceutical companies, mid-size GMP manufacturers, small biotech companies, and laboratory reagent and equipment providers. He will also collaborate with the other center directors within the ReVAMPP Network. The VPPC Director will work with an experienced Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and their staff to develop systems and processes to manage workflow, coordinate meetings, facilitate interaction with all program stakeholders, track and report the program's progress, and identify challenges and implement solutions. The CAO and their staff will be responsible for budget management and reporting, reporting and maintaining of regulatory protocols, generating content for communications, supply ordering and purchasing, and coordinating and scheduling all scientific and programmatic meetings. The combined expertise of the Admin Core's leadership and staff will ensure the program's scientific and programmatic objectives are achieved.