RTI to lead coordination, data sharing for new pandemic preparedness research network, ReVAMPP

RTI experts will facilitate collaborative research and data sharing across the network

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, has been selected by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to serve as the Coordination and Data Sharing Center for a new pandemic preparedness research effort called ReVAMPP.

ReVAMPP, which stands for Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness, aims to develop effective vaccines and monoclonal antibodies for high-priority pathogens that pose potential threats to human health. 

As the Coordination and Data Sharing Center, RTI will provide crucial support and coordination for the network, which is expected to receive approximately $100 million in annual funding.

"We are pleased to bring RTI’s significant expertise in coordinating multi-disciplinary research networks and data sharing to ReVAMPP,” said Greg Sempowski, Ph.D., a senior director and infectious disease immunologist at RTI. "Our focus will be on fostering collaboration to accelerate discovery and dissemination of novel vaccine and monoclonal antibody strategies to prepare for the next pandemic viral outbreak."

The ReVAMPP network will study representative, "prototype pathogens" from high-consequence virus families known to infect humans, including those responsible for diseases such as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, dengue, West Nile, measles, polio and Chikungunya. This research is expected to build a knowledge base that can be applied to related viruses, potentially expediting responses to future pandemic threats.

In its role as the Coordination and Data Sharing Center for ReVAMPP, RTI experts will leverage administrative, scientific and technical expertise to provide centralized approaches to facilitate, oversee, accelerate and disseminate network research activity. 

“We are excited to partner with NIAID and the other members of the ReVAMPP Network to develop the innovative tools, resources and platforms that will facilitate network-wide coordination and collaboration in preparation for the next pandemic threat,” said Sean T. Hanlon, Ph.D., director of digital research ecosystems at RTI.

RTI currently serves as coordinating center for three other NIH-led efforts focused on infectious diseases and pandemic preparedness/prevention: the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases (CREID) Network, the Tropical Medicine Research Center (TMRC) Network, and the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative. 

This work is supported by NIAID under grant number 1UG3AI181797-01.

Learn more about ReVAMPP (via NIAID)

Learn more about RTI’s capabilities as a coordinating center for multi-site studies

Learn more about RTI’s role in the CREID Network 

Learn more about RTI’s role in the RECOVER Initiative

Photo courtesy: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases