The Truth About mRNA Vaccines in the Animal Health Industry
The animal health industry continues to face challenges of new and emerging diseases as well as improvements in current commercial vaccines. Mike Roof, chief technology officer for the State of Iowa Bioscience initiative, believes the industry needs to ensure all relevant technology can be used to best support animal health today and in the future.
“Vaccines in the animal health industry play an important role in disease control, economic production, animal welfare and control of zoonotic agents. Despite the broad range of vaccines available to veterinarians today, there are still unmet needs and gaps in available tools,” Roof said during a presentation at the 2023 Allen D. Leman Swine Conference in St. Paul, Minn.
Proposed legislation on mRNA vaccine use in animals in some states, if successful, could limit the tools available now and in the future for veterinarians, he pointed out.
“In some cases, these discussions are not based on scientific facts or an understanding of the USDA’s Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) regulatory policy and so it is important that veterinarians and stakeholders in the animal health industry help educate the public and interested stakeholders,” Roof said.
Here are 5 things Roof wants people to know about mRNA vaccines:
1. mRNA is the template which cells use to make proteins required for cell function and viability. mRNA has a short half-life (seconds-hours) which is an evolutionary trait to ensure cells don’t overexpress and a mechanism of biological balance and control, Roof said.
2. COVID vaccines, such as those developed by CureVac, use modified nucleotides and complex methods to stabilize such as nanoparticles and lipids, he explained. Despite this advanced technology, these vaccines still require storage at -70 Celsius or they would degrade to the point of non-functional.
3. mRNA does not incorporate into the genome of the host and there are no “Frankenstein” creations of new genetic material or altered host genomes, Roof explained.
4. Unlike synthetically produced mRNA vaccines used in humans (COVID), there are currently no mRNA vaccines licensed by the USDA/CVB. The Sequivity product licensed and commercialized by MERCK is categorized by CVB as an RNA particle. In practical terms, Roof said this is derived from an alphavirus (Venezuelan equine encephalitis vaccine strain TC-83) virus that is defective. Like a MLV vaccine virus product, it can infect and delivery a viral payload, but the platform is defective and cannot create viable virus particles and so a non-replicating platform.
5. Vaccine approval and use is already regulated by highly skilled and competent experts at CVB, Roof said. Further legislative policy may not serve the animal health industry. He said this is true not only of mRNA vaccines, but all vaccines and all future vaccine technology. The CVB process considers not only host animal safety and efficacy, but also issues like shed, spread, environmental and human safety.
Read More:
Livestock and mRNA Vaccines: What You Need To Know
mRNA Conspiracy Theories: Ranch Group Offers ‘Fearmongering’ and ‘Misinformation’
