As part of the ADEPT program in 2011, DARPA began investing in nucleic acid vaccines. The hypothesis was that rather than delivering antigens to the immune system, researchers could deliver genes that encode the antigen and allow the human body to produce the antigen from its own cells, triggering a protective immune response.
In December 2020, former ADEPT performer Moderna’s RNA vaccine received emergency use authorization from the FDA for the prevention of COVID-19.
In 2017, DARPA initiated the Pandemic Prevention Platform (P3) program aimed squarely at the rapid discovery, testing, and manufacture of antibody treatments to fight any emerging disease threat. P3 convincingly demonstrated how to find and test antibodies in just a few months (versus years), using influenza, Zika, and MERS as test cases.
As the COVID-19 outbreak began early in 2020, P3 research pivoted to address the novel coronavirus.
