Project description
A novel vaccine safeguards cattle health and productivity
Vaccination constitutes the most efficient strategy for protecting livestock against various diseases, minimising the use of antibiotics. Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) is an endemic disease of cattle caused by the BVD virus (BVDV). Currently, there are no eradication or control programmes in place that would obviate the need for vaccines. The EU-funded BoVLP-BVD project has developed a novel vaccine against BVDV based on a virus-like particle patented technology. Scientists will undertake the necessary activities for the commercial-scale manufacturing and in vivo safety and efficacy assessment of the vaccine. Given that BVDV significantly affects herd productivity and reproduction with major economic costs, the BoVLP-BVD vaccine will help prevent the disease.
Objective
In a general context of environmental, social and legal pressure to reduce the use of antibiotics to fight diseases in livestock animals, cost-effective vaccination becomes the focus of most of the industry, regulatory and agro-food public bodies. Development of new vaccines to prevent the disease and therefore avoid the use of antibiotics or to improve suboptimal available vaccines is now an European and industry priority. Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is an important infectious agent of cattle worldwide that affects herd productivity and reproduction. BVD has been and is an endemic disease in all countries where no systematic eradication and control programs have been established. Under these conditions, approximately 50% of the herds have or have had animals with persistent infection, and approximately 90% of the cattle have been exposed to the virus at some point during their lifetime. Infection with BVDV has a major economic impact, estimated in hundreds of euros per animal for a European hut of around 80 million animals.
Aquilón CyL, a leading biotech company, has developed new recombinant vaccine against BVDV using a Virus-Like- Particle patented technology. Aquilón has demonstrated the technical, commercial and regulatory feasibility by the SME instrument phase 1 project (nº 774994). After developing the vaccine to TRL6 stage (pre-industrial prototype with positive activity data), Aquilón will develop one vaccine to TRL8 stage, demonstrating the commercial-scale manufacturing and in-vivo safety, efficacy and DIVA attributes in the target species. This vaccine candidate will be licensed to one or more veterinarian pharmaceutical company that will complete the final field studies required for commercialisation. Our business projections, based on agreements with Development milestones and commercial royalties, show potential for a 5X investment multiplier with a 25% internal rate of return.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyvirology
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicsproduction economicsproductivity
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsvaccines
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsantibiotics
- agricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedomestic animalsanimal husbandry
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
24000 LEON
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.