Broad coronavirus vaccine to protect against many strains

The Development and Evaluation of Pan-Coronavirus Vaccines

NIH-funded research Washington University · NIH-11395077

New vaccines are being designed to help protect people from many different coronaviruses, including ones that could appear in the future.

Quick facts

Grant typeP01 program project
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionWashington University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Saint Louis, United States)
Project IDNIH-11395077 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Researchers at several labs are designing vaccines that aim to teach your immune system to recognize many coronaviruses. They combine specially designed B-cell and T-cell targets and deliver them using harmless viral carriers like adenovirus and VSV to stimulate mucosal and whole-body immunity. These vaccine candidates will be tested in animals such as mice and hamsters to see if they prevent infection and disease, with data managed centrally and shared across the program. The overall goal is vaccines that could protect you against current and future coronaviruses that might emerge from animals.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates for any future human trials would be adults at risk of coronavirus exposure or people willing to enroll in vaccine trials at participating centers.

Not a fit: This program is largely preclinical, so it may not provide direct, near-term benefit to people now, and those with known allergies to viral vaccine components may not be eligible for related trials.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, these vaccines could give people broader protection against multiple current and future coronaviruses, lowering the risk of infection and severe illness.

How similar studies have performed: Existing COVID-19 vaccines have protected against SARS-CoV-2, but broadly protective pan-coronavirus vaccines remain experimental and unproven in humans.

Where this research is happening

Saint Louis, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.