Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Select Research Areas for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

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Coronaviruses are a diverse family of viruses that cause a range of disease in humans and animals, and there are currently no approved coronavirus vaccines or therapeutics. In January 2020, a novel coronavirus was identified as the causative agent of a global pandemic of viral pneumonia. Current information regarding confirmed cases is changing daily and can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html) and through other sources. Transmission characteristics and the associated morbidity and mortality are not completely understood, but there is clear evidence of human-to-human transmission. Many other aspects of viral pathogenesis, natural history, and host range are poorly understood. Given this, there is an urgent public health need to better understand the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19.

In order to rapidly improve our understanding and available control measures for SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, NIAID is encouraging the submission of applications to address the following research areas of interest:

  • Studies to understand critical aspects of viral infection, replication, pathogenesis, and transmission
  • Studies on the evolution and emergence of SARS-CoV-2 viruses including the identification of factors that affect viral host-range and virulence
  • Development of sensitive, specific, and rapid clinical diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2
  • Development of SARS-COV-2 therapeutic candidates, especially broad-spectrum therapeutics against multiple coronavirus strains
  • Identification and evaluation of the innate, cellular and humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, including, but not limited to: cross-reactive antibodies from individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses; viral epitopes critical for T-cell activation or antibody binding and neutralization; immune-mediated pathology or host factors that might predispose to severe infection; and studies to examine duration of protection or the potential for reinfection
  • Development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates, including approaches for pan-coronavirus protection, that include emerging antigen design strategies, novel platforms or delivery approaches, adjuvants, or assessing cross-neutralization potential of SARS-CoV vaccine candidates.