Location: Foreign Animal Disease Research
Project Number: 3022-32000-063-037-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 15, 2022
End Date: Sep 14, 2026
Objective:
Develop and evaluate novel recombinant vaccine candidates to protect pigs against African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) and Classical Swine Fever Virus (CSFV). The purpose of this agreement is to facilitate research in approved areas at the Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI) while the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF) transitions to full scientific operations. The efficacy of novel experimental ASF and CSF live attenuated and subunit vaccines will be tested at different stages of development.
Approach:
ASF and CSF are two of the most dreaded infectious diseases that affect domestic pigs. Both diseases, absent in USA, severely affect swine production worldwide. There is a need to develop new recombinant vaccines that accommodate different epidemiological scenarios. In the case of CSF, there is a need of antigenically marker live attenuated vaccines (LAV) to be able to efficaciously induce early protection and for ASF it is necessary to develop a new generation of LAV with improved safety and DIVA compatibility. In addition, for both diseases, there is a need of develop DIVA compatible efficacious subunit vaccines. Although ASFV and CSFV are structurally and genetically different, the strategy of producing recombinant vaccines is similar: the identification of genetic determinants of virulence that, upon further genetic manipulation, can be used for the development LAV candidates. These candidates can be further genetically modified to incorporate antigenic DIVA markers. The purpose of this project is to evaluate in BSL3 conditions the effectivity of these newly developed vaccine candidates in pigs. Our laboratory has developed and optimized protocols to evaluate vaccine efficacy for ASF and CSF. If needed, these studies designs will be performed in collaboration with BRI staffand/or K-State researchers.
