GenVec Inc, a biopharmaceutical company out of Gaithersburg, Md, is receiving a grant to support its vaccine research for respiratory synctial virus (RSV).

The Advanced Technology Phase 1 Small Business Innovation and Research grant totals $600,000, given over the course of 2 years. GenVec is receiving the grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, of the National Institutes of Health, to support efforts to develop vaccines for RSV, the leading viral cause of lower respiratory infections in infants and young children.

“The overall goal of this program is to develop a safe vaccine that provides protection against RSV,” says Rick King, PhD, GenVec’s senior vice president of research. “RSV has long been recognized as a priority target for vaccine development and our program ahs the potential to address this significant unmet medical need.”

Respiratory synctial virus has infected almost all US children by the age of 2 years. The virus causes repeated infections throughout life, producing moderate to severe cold-like symptoms.