Vaccine researchers in Pittsburgh join new pandemic preparedness network

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — After the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc, Pittsburgh researchers are doing everything they can to help prevent another devastating pandemic from happening again.

Most of us would like to forget the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s a motivator for the people who study dangerous viruses at the Center for Vaccine Research at the University of Pittsburgh.

“People like us in the Center for Vaccine Research have to remember that it existed and have to be ready for the next one,” said Paul Duprex, director of Pitt’s Center for Vaccine Research.

Duprex is thrilled the center is joining a new National Institutes of Health network. The Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness network, ReVAMPP, is aimed at boosting pandemic preparedness.

He said they’ll receive millions of dollars in awards over the next three to five years to come up with plans that can be used to quickly respond to virus threats.

The experts at Pitt will study prototype viruses from four troublemaker virus families — like the family that includes mumps, for example.

“If you imagine that a virus, which is very closely related to mumps but is transmissible as mumps comes along and we don’t have natural immunity to that because the mumps vaccine that we have is not protective, we can take that knowledge, which we identify for mumps, and use it to quickly generate a new vaccine,” Duprex said.

To put it simply, they’re using examples to prepare for something that emerges in the future.

“We can take all of that knowledge and pivot that knowledge into this new virus that we’ve never seen before,’ he said.

Duprex said CVR’s regional bio-containment lab will benefit the program greatly. Researchers there worked with coronavirus, SARS, MERS and more.

“We take advantage of all of that knowledge that we built, all of that expertise we have, not to look backwards but to look forwards,” he said.

He said the “prototype pathogens” model is similar to the one that accelerated vaccines to fight the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases expects to commit $100 million per year to fund the ReVAMPP program. Multi-million dollar rewards will go to multiple research groups that make up the network across the U.S. 

Duprex is proud Pitt researchers are a part of this new network. They’re ready to suit up in full protective gear and develop blueprints that could be life-saving.

“If you think about it as seven families, lots of scientists, lots of virology, lots of vaccinology, lots of preparation with a view to be ready to move. It’s super exciting. It’s just wonderful that we get to play a part in it,” Duprex said.