D2R-MI4 Rapid Response Program for Mpox Research

Montreal, February 13, 2025

McGill University’s DNA to RNA Initiative (D2R) and McGill Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity (MI4) have awarded $500,000 to fund five high-impact research projects aimed at advancing the understanding of Mpox through its Rapid Response for Mpox Research funding program.

Mpox, a virus endemic to parts of Central and West Africa since its discovery in 1970, has spread to 116 countries, with over 100,000 confirmed cases worldwide[1], including more than 1,900 cases in Canada[2]. Despite the availability of non-mRNA-based vaccines, challenges in distribution and the virus’s evolving nature raise significant concerns about global pandemic preparedness. Critical questions remain regarding virus identification, basic biology of the virus, vaccine response, immune protection parameters, and public health interventions. The development of new RNA-based vaccines is crucial to addressing these gaps.

The funded projects include research on boosting immunity to Mpox through smallpox vaccination, finding new targets for Mpox vaccines, creating more efficient mRNA vaccines for Mpox, studying how Mpox affects immune cells in the lungs, and using mouse models to test new RNA vaccine platforms for poxviruses.

The following is a list of the principal investigators from McGill University along with their D2R-funded projects:

• Jörg H. Fritz, Analysis of cross-reactive Mpox-specific B cell responses
• Jörg H. Fritz, Identification of antigen targets for Mpox vaccine development
• Leo Liu, A Novel Self-Amplifying mRNA Platform for Mpox Vaccines
• Erwin Schurr, The role of respiratory immune cells in the early phase of pox virus infections
• Silvia Vidal, Mouse models for orthopoxvirus research and therapeutic development

Jörg Fritz, McGill Professor in the Department of Microbiology, emphasized: "The support by D2R will allow us to rapidly implement our novel technology platform to identify antigenic targets of the currently spreading Mpox variants. This will allow us to rapidly develop a novel Mpox vaccine with local industry partners. Additionally, this funding will help us to answer if residual immune memory conferred by smallpox vaccination can be boosted by the current Mpox vaccines. This will allow us to provide important recommendations for the application of Mpox vaccines for ageing and vulnerable populations."

For more information on these research projects, please visit D2R's funded projects page.