Developing single-dose vaccines for cattle

While vaccines are designed to prevent diseases, more than one dose is often necessary. Researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) are now working on a single-dose (shelf-stable) vaccine that could be used to prevent common cattle diseases and reduce vaccination costs.

The project is being led by Dr Neena Mitter at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) in collaboration with Professor Chengzhong Yu at the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN). It is the culmination of research by Dr Mitter, AIBN scientists, Queensland government scientists and colleagues at Washington State University and Zoetis Australia.

“Our goal is to create a vaccine that will target three major animal-health problems: bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) and cattle tick fever (Anaplasmosis),” Dr Mitter said. These diseases are estimated to cumulatively cost Queensland’s $3.4 billion cattle industry about $200 million a year.

The team developed novel silica nanoparticles and loaded them with the BVDV E2 protein. Comparing the effect of the protein-loaded nanoparticle with a traditional adjuvant in mice trials, they found that the nanovaccine produced a similar or even better immune response in the mice.

The silica nanoparticles were found to be non-toxic with a stable shelf life, potentially overcoming storage issues associated with conventional vaccines while helping to reduce the dose required. The research further paves the way for the development of a variety of other vaccines to be delivered in a single dose.

PhD Scholar Karishma Mody presented the research at the 23rd Australian Conference on Microscopy and Microanalysis (ACMM23) and the International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICONN 2014), jointly held this week at the Adelaide Convention Centre.