European Vaccine Initiative and Novo Nordisk Foundation launch new network to advance mucosal immunity research for airway vaccines: AVANT-guard
The European Vaccine Initiative (EVI) and the Novo Nordisk Foundation have launched AVANT-guard – the “Airway VAccine NeTwork for mucosal correlates of protection” – a three-year network aiming to improve how mucosal immunity is assessed and make it a recognised basis for the regulatory approval of airway vaccines.
27 October 2026
Airway vaccines have the potential to mount protection against respiratory diseases, which pose a major global health and economic burden. However, their development is held back in part by the lack of agreed ways to measure mucosal immunity. By aligning methods and building a shared evidence base, AVANT-guard seeks to lay the groundwork for more efficient development and regulatory evaluation of the next generation of vaccines, bringing the field closer to vaccines that protect against both infection and transmission of high-burden pathogens.
AVANT-guard currently comprises ten existing consortia: CIVICs Influenza CHIM, CLAIM (VAXXAIR/Germinate), COMMUNITY, CTVD Mucosal Immunity Research Community, Inno4vac, MUSICC, NextGen, NOFLU, NOSEVAC, and SPOTLIGHT. By connecting these groups working on mucosal correlates of protection (CoPs), AVANT-guard aims to promote the development of regulatory-compliant respiratory mucosal sampling and assays, with an initial focus on influenza, COVID-19, and tuberculosis.
The network will focus on knowledge-sharing among the consortia and tackling challenges and opportunities identified in recent publications [1,2] by (1) standardisation of sampling, (2) standardisation of assays, and (3) defining immune responses and correlates of protection. The ultimate goal is to enable airway immunity assessments to serve as an established endpoint in vaccine approval.
Bringing the field together
The Novo Nordisk Foundation initiated AVANT-guard following a workshop on mucosal airway sampling organized by the Foundation and Wellcome in September 2025 [1]. Over the next three years, participants of the network will have access to research visit grants, early career travel grants, and paid scientific and regulatory consultants. The scientific direction and future needs of the field will be discussed directly with funders and findings will be made publicly available. In future, further consortia and funders with a focus in this area will be invited to join the network.
AVANT-guard is coordinated by EVI and brings together research consortia supported by seven funding organisations, namely Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Coefficient Giving, Flu Lab, Gates Foundation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Novo Nordisk Foundation, and Wellcome.
“Through AVANT-guard, we aim to strengthen collaboration across the field, promote the harmonisation of airway sampling methods and assays, and help support the generation of robust evidence to establish mucosal immune endpoints as recognised correlates of protection. We are thrilled by the opportunity to work closely with the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the funders and the participating consortia to take important steps towards integrating mucosal immunity into the evaluation and regulatory approval of airway vaccines.” says Ali Harandi, AVANT-guard Scientific Director and Head of Science Strategy at EVI.
“A deeper understanding of airway immunity and mucosal correlates of protection is key to developing more effective vaccines, but regulatory approval also requires robust and validated measures of protection. AVANT-guard gives the field the collaborative foundation and regulatory expertise it needs to get there, and we are proud to have initiated it together with EVI and our fellow funders,” says Marianne Holm, Vice President for Infectious Diseases at the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Funding Acknowledgement
The Novo Nordisk Foundation has supported the AVANT-guard project under grant number NNF26SA0117353.
Consortia of AVANT-guard
CIVICs – Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers; CLAIM – VAXXAIR & Germinate (trials: VAXXAIR & GERMINATE); COMMUNITY; CTVD – Collaboration for TB Vaccine Discovery (Mucosal Immunity Research Community); Inno4Vac – innovations to accelerate vaccine development and manufacture; MUSICC – Mucosal Immunity in Human Coronavirus Challenge; NextGen / Next Generation Medical Countermeasures; NOFLU; NOSEVAC; SPOTLIGHT – H107/CAF10b TB vaccine programme.
References
[1] Rosenheim et al., Vaccine, 2026, Conference report: airway mucosal sampling and immune analysis - ScienceDirect
[2] Wellcome, Novo Nordisk Foundation, & Next Frontier Advisors. (2025). Landscape Review of Vaccine-Induced Mucosal Immunity.
About the Novo Nordisk Foundation
Established in Denmark in 1924, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is an enterprise foundation with philanthropic objectives. The vision of the Foundation is to improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet. The Foundation’s mission is to progress research and innovation in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic and infectious diseases as well as to advance knowledge and solutions to support a green transformation of society.
About the European Vaccine Initiative (EVI)
The European Vaccine Initiative (EVI) is a non-profit Product Development Partnership (PDP) that supports the development of safe, effective and affordable vaccines to address global health needs. EVI works in partnership with research institutions, industry, funders, policy and decision makers, and other key stakeholders to accelerate vaccine innovation. Through its commitment to cutting edge research and strategic partnership, EVI advances a diverse vaccine portfolio and promotes R&D targeting critical public health challenges.
Full announcement:
