BARDA seeks partners in developing solutions for acute respiratory distress

BARDA’s Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures (DRIVe) announced a new Area of Interest (AOI) and that it is looking for new partners to evaluate intervention strategies for acute respiratory distress.

The goal of the AOI is to improve long-term patient recovery after receiving critical care. The topic will expand DRIVe’s host-directed therapeutics program and find solutions for patients to prevent consequences from severe illness. Host-directed therapeutics are products that strengthen a patient’s internal defense mechanisms against disease by countering dysregulation of the host’s response which helps to reduce organ damage, morbidity and mortality.

“This program seeks to identify and support candidates that are already being evaluated to treat acute lung injury and can expand the clinical study design or analysis to assess impact to long-term (>3 months) consequences resulting from the initial emergency,” BARDA said in its solicitation. “This AOI focuses on therapeutic candidates, including novel clinical management approaches or interventions. The goal is to restore or maintain health characteristics, reduce hospital readmission and improve patient outcomes. Ultimately these medical countermeasures could aid in the current COVID-19 pandemic or future health security emergencies involving respiratory injury.”

Lung injury or respiratory distress caused by infectious disease, or due to a incident involving chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agents, can lead to hospitalizations and severe outcomes like sepsis or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This can have long-term health consequences, including mental, physical and social impairments, the risk of deteriorating health conditions and even mortality. Interventional therapies that are administered in the hospital are needed to improve long-term patient outcomes.

The new EZ-BAA AOI #12, “Mitigating Long-term Effects of Respiratory Distress” seeks host-directed therapeutic candidates to expand the host therapeutic portfolio. Abstracts may be submitted by 5 p.m., April 30, 2022.