University of Dundee experts have been aided in efforts to develop a vaccine that targets a deadly infection which brings misery to UK pig farmers.
Experts from the University’s School of Life Sciences have received UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding to develop a broad-spectrum vaccine against Streptococcus suis, a common infection in pig farming.
It is one of two projects to have received Proof of Concept awards aimed at accelerating vaccine development for urgent human and animal health issues.
Symptoms of Streptococcus suis are often associated with meningitis and can include stiff joints and death of the animal in the post-weaning phase. At present, antibiotics are used to treat infected animals but efforts to reduce the use of these means that greater emphasis is being placed on prevention.
The Dundee team, led by Dr Helge Dorfmueller, will work with Moredun Scientific Ltd utilising the University’s patented RHAPSEDA platform to develop vaccine candidates. If successful, the vaccine could save the pig industry vast sums of money worldwide while also reducing the risk of zoonotic infection in humans.
Dr Dorfmueller, project lead and inventor of the RHAPSEDA platform, said, “Streptococcus suis causes misery to both pigs and farmers.
“As well as mortality in the animals, there is a risk of transmission to humans and already significant financial cost to the farming sector. As we look to reduce our dependency on antibiotics, the need to develop a broad-spectrum vaccine is increasingly urgent.
“These awards recognise our efforts to lead vaccine innovation. Working with our RHAPSEDA platform, this funding will accelerate our efforts to deliver affordable, accessible solutions for global health.”
The second award, from the Scottish Government Proof of Concept Fund, supports the development of cold-chain-free vaccine formulations.
The project will combine RHAPSEDA vaccine candidates with a novel gel technology developed by Professor Dave Adams at the University of Glasgow, in collaboration with the universities of Manchester and Warwick, to stabilise protein materials at room temperature. If successful it could eliminate the need for refrigeration of RHAPSEDA’s vaccine candidates, an innovation that could transform global vaccine delivery, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
In total, Dundee experts have received three Scottish Government Proof of Concept awards, totalling nearly £430,000.