“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, we 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 FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) approval for the prevention of COVID-19. In FY2016, DARPA initiated t