Hackensack Meridian CDI, Rockefeller University, and partners receive two additional years of funding to accelerate breakthrough treatments for SARS-CoV-2 and future pandemic threats
The Metropolitan AntiViral Drug Accelerator (MAVDA), a unique collaborative enterprise of academic and pharmaceutical experts centered in the New Jersey-New York Metro area, has been awarded continued funding over the next two years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance its mission of developing novel antiviral treatments.
The recently issued Notice of Award allocates $13.89 million for the current budget year, with an additional $13.69 million recommended for the following year, ensuring the consortium's vital work continues without interruption*.
Originally launched in May 2022, MAVDA operates under the NIH and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID)’s Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Centers for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern program. It brings together leading virologists and academic drug discoverers from The Rockefeller University, Columbia University, the Hackensack Meridian CDI, Rutgers University, and Princeton University. These academic institutions join forces with proven antiviral drug developers, including Merck, and Aligos Therapeutics.
MAVDA’s mission is to discover, optimize, and test innovative small molecule antiviral drugs to target viruses of pandemic potential. The primary goal is to rapidly develop oral drugs for outpatient administration in the near-future.
Thus far, the consortium touts 16 patents, more than 25 high-impact research articles, three promising drug candidates in clinical development, and several IND-ready candidates in the preclinical pipeline. This award furthers that work.
“This public-private partnership is a perfect example of how to do better, faster science to meet health needs as soon as possible,” said David Perlin, Ph.D., the chief scientific officer and senior vice president of the CDI, and a professor at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. “Advancing three candidates into clinical development in a very short time is a testament to this model of academic-industry partnerships.”
The overall program continues to be co-led by Perlin, head of the CDI, and Rockefeller scientist Charles M. Rice, Ph.D.
“The need for new antivirals remains urgent, both to treat existing viral infections and to prepare for future pandemics,” said Rice, the Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Professor in Virology, Head of the Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, and Director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Institute for Global Infectious Disease Research at the Rockefeller University. “MAVDA brings together the expertise and resources needed to accelerate the discovery and development of these critical medicines, and continued NIH support will help us move promising candidates closer to the patients who need them.”” Rice was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his role in the discovery of hepatitis C virus.
The newly awarded funds will directly support MAVDA’s integrated, pharma-style cores and antiviral development projects. By leveraging the virology, structural biology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and research animal models expertise across its member institutions, MAVDA bridges the gaps that normally stifle advancement, accelerating the translation of academic discoveries into viable therapeutics through its pharmaceutical partners.
*The new grant is Award Number 4U19AI171401-02.