image: UCalgary associate professor Eduoard Timsit conducting a nasal swab on cattle in Thimphu, Bhutan
Credit: Photo supplied by Schryvers' lab.
When the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Global Affairs Canada, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation called on scientists to create vaccines for neglected livestock diseases in low- and middle-income countries to improve livestock health and the livelihoods of farmers a team of University of Calgary researchers was ready to act.
Building on established partnerships in Canada, Africa and South Asia, the team led by Dr. Anthony Schryvers, MD, PhD, set out to design a vaccine against hemorrhagic septicemia, a deadly bacterial disease that destroys livestock and livelihoods.
“This devastating disease can eliminate the small number of cattle or buffalo that families rely on for their livelihood,” says Schryvers, a professor at the Cumming School of Medicine. “A one-shot vaccine with a long-lasting immune response was needed. Strong existing relationships between the faculty in veterinary and human medicine and with partners in Africa and Asia was essential to address this challenge.”
Supported by a grant through the Livestock Vaccine Innovation fund, Schryvers also leaned into an established collaboration that was critical for success. He had already worked with University of Toronto researchers Dr. Scott Gray-Owen, PhD, and Dr. Trevor Moraes, PhD, developing vaccines for humans and food production animals. Their combined expertise in antigen selection, design and testing provided a pipeline of new and original vaccine antigens to select from.
“Developing a new vaccine was based on foundational research that the team of researchers was already doing. Dr. Schryvers’ work on antigen design and reengineering, essential to vaccine development, was at the forefront, plus all the players were in place,” says Dr. Guido van Marle, PhD, professor at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), director of International Partnerships with the Indigenous, Local and Global Health Office, and long-time research and teaching collaborator. “Schryvers has a knack of leveraging partnerships and connections to create change.”
The collaboration involved visits between countries to compare methods for sampling and diagnosing infection and understanding the need for long lasting protection from infection. The exchange of ideas and methods led to training opportunities for techniques used in the Schryvers’ lab that could assist in vaccine evaluation and potential production in Ethiopia or Bhutan. Schryvers and the co-PIs have now filed a patent for the new vaccine.The next step is finding a manufacturer to produce the vaccine in the developing world close to farms in need.