IVVN Awards Fifth Round of Pump-Priming Grants to Advance Livestock Vaccine Research in LMICs
The International Veterinary Vaccinology Network (IVVN) is delighted to announce the recipients of its fifth round of Pump-Priming Grant Funding. These grants, each worth up to £100,000, aim to accelerate vaccine research addressing critical challenges in livestock and zoonotic diseases across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Awarded through a highly competitive process, the Pump-Priming Grants are designed to address critical bottlenecks in vaccine development and support innovative, collaborative projects with potential for significant impact in the field.
The Recipients and Their Projects
Project 1: African Swine Fever Virus Binding Proteins Identification Using a Pig Macrophages Membranes
Recipients:
- Anna Lacasta, Senior Scientist, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
- Musa Hassan, Group Leader, The Roslin Institute
This project seeks to identify the cell-binding proteins of African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV), a major step towards developing subunit vaccines. By pinpointing the antigens involved in viral binding, the research could lead to more effective methods for protecting pigs against this devastating disease.
Dr Lacasta and Dr Hassan explained their motivation for applying for the IVVN Pump-Priming Grant:
"The IVVN Pump-Priming Grant is an excellent opportunity to get support for ideas to unblock some research areas and prove the utility of vaccine development pipelines. It also helps to build trust with other donors, opening the chance to get extra funding to continue or complement the research."
On the importance of their research, they said:
"The main goal of the funded project is to identify the cell-binding proteins for African Swine Fever Virus and the discovery of the antigens involved in the binding. The results will open the avenue for the development of subunit vaccines by testing the capacity of the identified antigens to protect against disease."
Looking ahead, they hope their work will have a transformative impact:
"The discovery of the binding proteins for ASFV and the antigens involved in such binding will be a breakthrough in ASF research since they are yet to be identified, which is key to antigen discovery for a subunit vaccine priming antibody generation. It will also pave the way for further research on the role of antibodies in ASF protection, a very controversial topic in this research area."
Project 2: How Does Genetic Variation Contribute to Phenotypic Fitness and Vaccine Efficacy in Mycobacterium bovis Strains Circulating in Algeria?
Recipients:
- Sharon Kendall, Associate Professor, Royal Veterinary College
- Rachel Tanner, Associate Professor, University of Oxford
- Maamar Khames, Lecturer-Researcher, University of Medea, Algeria
- Dong Xia, Senior Lecturer, Royal Veterinary College
This project explores how genetic diversity in field isolates of Mycobacterium bovis impacts immune responses and vaccine efficacy, shedding light on a zoonotic pathogen that remains understudied in LMICs.
Dr Kendall shared her thoughts on what motivated the team to apply for the IVVN Pump-Priming Grant:
"We were keen to build upon a previous successful IVVN laboratory exchange award that established a collaboration between the RVC and the University of Medea. This award allowed us to generate resources and establish networks to support the pump-priming grant application."
On the significance of the project, Dr Kendall said:
"The main goal of the project is to understand how genetic diversity in field isolates of Mycobacterium bovis can influence the immune response and vaccine efficacy. Mycobacterium bovis continues to be an understudied pathogen of zoonotic relevance, particularly in LMICs. The opportunity to understand the virulence mechanisms behind field-relevant isolates is very motivating. Working with TB immunologist, Prof. Rachel Tanner, at the University of Oxford is key, as she brings immunological expertise to the project."
Project 3: Baci-VAC: A Novel RNAi Vaccine From a Non-Pathogenic Bacillus subtilis Cell Expressing dsRNA-EHP to Protect Microsporidian Infection in Shrimp
Recipients:
- Pratsaneeyaporn Posiri, BIOTEC, NSTDA, Thailand
- Jamie Bojko, Associate Professor, Teesside University
- Amy Burgess, Lecturer, Teesside University
- Kallaya Sritunyalucksana, Principal Researcher, BIOTEC, NSTDA
- Teva Phanaksri, Thammasat University
- Pongsopee Attasar, Senior Researcher, Mahidol University
This ambitious project applies RNAi vaccine technology to protect shrimp against Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP), aiming to strengthen global food security by tackling one of aquaculture's most challenging pathogens.
Dr Bojko explained what motivated the team to apply for the IVVN funding:
"Our teams across the UK and Thailand were interested in bringing human medical sciences to pond-side shrimp aquaculture."
On the importance of their work, Dr Bojko said:
"For our global food security, it is vital to develop vaccines for cultured crustacean species."
The potential impact is far-reaching:
"We hope that our research will lead to better food security by defending economically important crustacean species from common aquaculture pathogens."
Project 4: BBVac: Exploring Genetic Diversity and Vaccine Potential of TSR Proteins Against Bovine Babesiosis Caused by Three Babesia Species
Recipients:
- Ellen Knuepfer, Lecturer, Royal Veterinary College
- Silvina Wilkowsky, Senior Researcher, INTA-CONICET, Argentina
This project addresses bovine babesiosis, a tick-borne parasitic disease of cattle that causes significant economic losses. The team will explore subunit vaccines targeting TSR proteins and collect field data to inform vaccine development.
Dr Knuepfer and Dr Wilkowsky shared why they applied for this funding:
"The IVVN Pump-Priming Grant encourages new collaborations between labs in the UK and low- and middle-income countries and provides the perfect opportunity to generate preliminary data in the field of vaccinology targeting important livestock pathogens. As such, this grant bridges a funding gap from project design to generating preliminary data to allow us to secure larger follow-on grants. We are extremely grateful for having been awarded this opportunity."
On their research goals, they said:
"Few selected countries have generated vaccines against this pathogen. These vaccines are based on live attenuated parasites, which have significant disadvantages from short shelf life to the risk of transmission of other diseases and reversion to virulence. Our research project will explore the development of a subunit vaccine against bovine babesiosis based on a group of proteins instrumental in facilitating parasite entry into the host cell. Our project also aims to gather genome sequence data from Babesia field isolates. This data will be made available to the research community and will be critical in designing subunit vaccines effective against the parasite across large geographic areas."
Talking about the potential impact of their research, Dr Knuepfer and Dr Wilkowsky said: “Our results will promote evidence-based vaccine design to prevent animal diseases both within the UK and in low-and-middle income countries.”
Speaking about the pump-priming grant funding, IVVN's Network Manager, Dr Madeleine Clark said:
IVVN is delighted to award these grants in the fifth round round of IVVN pump-priming grant funding. The pump-priming grant funding scheme is a flagship activity for IVVN, supporting its members to address key bottlenecks across the veterinary vaccinology pipeline whilst supporting new collaborations. These 12-month grants act as pilot studies to facilitate knowledge development, providing scientific evidence that can be used for larger grant applications.