A new grant at Kansas State University will explore ways to help protect global food supplies through the development of vaccines to protect swine from infectious diseases. Juergen Richt, regents distinguished professor and university distinguished professor in diagnostic medicine and pathobiology at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, is leading the project focused on African swine fever virus, a lethal disease in both wild and domestic pigs.
The grant is funded for a three-year period by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture through its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, or AFRI.
According to Richt, all attempts to develop safe vaccines capable of protecting against the infection and the disease have been largely unsuccessful.
“African swine fever virus is characterized by a wide variety of severe clinical signs in affected animals,” Richt said in a release. “In this project, we will test our hypothesis that it is possible to protect against ASF virus infection and disease with rationally designed and engineered virus-vectored subunit vaccine candidates. Our vaccine approaches are based on a better understanding of the pig’s immune response to ASF virus infection, and the virus-vectored vaccine candidates are DIVA, or differentiate infected from vaccinated animals, compatible.”
David Rosowsky, vice president for research at K-State, said the development of these vaccines is of global significance.
“K-State researchers are committed to domestic and international collaborations to find solutions to these aggressive diseases, and the university continues to be an international leader in animal health and biosecurity,” Rosowsky said in a release.
Editor’s Note: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative was established by Congress in the 2008 Farm Bill and re-authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill. AFRI programs help develop new technologies and a workforce that will advance national security, energy self-sufficiency and the health of Americans.
