VACCINE: Development of Novel BRSV Pre-Fusion Protein Recombinant Bovine Vaccine.

Lead Research Organisation: Queen's University Belfast
Department Name: Centre for Experimental Medicine

Abstract

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is a respiratory virus associated bovine respiratory disease complex, which is a major problem for the cattle industry. It results in considerable morbidity and mortality in cattle, and particularly young calves, worldwide. Efficacy of current vaccines is limited and there is a major need for a much more effective vaccine. BRSV is highly similar to Human RSV (HRSV) which is the most common cause of hospitalization in young infants and causes severe disease in elderly. No HRSV vaccines are available to date due to poor efficacy and safety issues. No HRSV vaccines are available to date due to poor efficacy and safety issues. In cattle the response of the immune system of current vaccines is compromised by the presence of maternal antibodies which neutralise the vaccine. This current proposal will target the exploitation of a combination of novel technologies to generate novel BRSV vaccines. Specifically, we will bring together world-renowned expertise in paramyxovirus reverse genetics, structure-based vaccine antigen design, and vaccine development to generate a new generation of BRSV vaccines that we are confident will circumvent many of the limitations of current vaccines. This will include the use of Sendai virus (SeV, a mouse virus) and parainfluenza virus type 5 (PIV5, a dog virus) as vehicles (vectors) to deliver a BRSV gene into the cell and produce the protein (antigen) from this. As neither of these viruses is found in cattle, they infect bovine cells but do not cause disease in cattle and there is no known cross-reactivity with bovine antibodies, problems associated with the presence of maternal antibodies will be circumvented. The use of SeV and PIV5 will facilitate development of a prime/boost vaccine regimen, which will circumvent a virus vector-specific immune response induced by the 1st vaccine administration, as both viruses are antigenically distinct. Such a regimen is likely to maximize immune responses to the BRSV antigen. We will develop both replication competent and incompetent viruses for both SeV and PIV5. The latter are produced by producing virus infectious particles that have one of the genes for further replication removed. However, these particles can enter cells and produce BRSV proteins. Our cumulative data, both published and unpublished, confirms that both replication competent viruses are independently highly efficient vectors for human RSV vaccine antigens in animal models. The development of replication-incompetent SeV and PIV5 viral vectors will address some safety concerns related to environmental dissemination of recombinant viruses, and will involve the generation of novel rescue technologies (production of virus from copies of the virus genes) for both viruses. BRSV and HRSV contain a protein called the fusion (F) protein which allows the virus to get into cells and is in a different form on the virion surface (pre-fusion) compared to when it interacts with a cell (post-fusion). The F protein induces a response by the immune system and the pre-fusion form has recently been shown to produce a several fold higher immune response than the post fusion form (in an experimental HRSV vaccine. We will exploit this finding to design and generate the most highly immunogenic BRSV vaccine, based on the use of a pre-fusion stable F protein. Precedence for this was demonstrated for human RSV pre-fusion F-based experimental vaccine, which was shown to be many fold superior to native F as a vaccine antigen. Finally, we will bring all of these complementary but disparate elements together to develop novel BRSV vaccines and vaccine regimens and test their efficacy in the final host target for the use of these vaccines, i.e., calves. These vaccines and the results from their study will also serve as the basis for design of effective human vaccines for HRSV.

Technical Summary

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is associated bovine respiratory disease complex, a major problem for the cattle industry, and is closely related to human RSV (HRSV). It results in considerable morbidity and mortality in calves worldwide. Efficacy of current vaccines is limited because they are compromised by maternal antibodies in calves. This proposal will exploit of a combination of novel technologies to generate new BRSV vaccines. We will bring together world-renowned expertise in paramyxovirus reverse genetics, structure-based vaccine antigen design, and vaccine development to generate a new generation of BRSV vaccines designed to circumvent the limitations of current vaccines. This will include the use of Sendai virus (SeV) and parainfluenza virus type 5 (PIV5) as vectors for BRSV vaccine antigens. As neither of these viruses is found in cattle and there is no known cross-reactivity with bovine antibodies, problems associated with maternal antibodies will be circumvented. Use of SeV and PIV5 will facilitate development of a prime/boost vaccine regimen, which will circumvent virus vector-specific immunity induced by the 1st vaccine administration, as both viruses are antigenically distinct. We will develop both replication competent and incompetent viruses for both SeV and PIV5. Replication-incompetent SeV and PIV5 vectors will address safety concerns related to environmental dissemination of recombinant viruses. We will exploit novel structure-based vaccine design to generate the most highly immunogenic BRSV antigen, based on a BRSV pre-fusion stable F protein. Precedence for this was demonstrated for a HRSV pre-fusion F protein, which was many fold superior to native F as a vaccine antigen. We will bring these complementary but disparate elements together to develop novel BRSV vaccines and vaccine regimens and test their efficacy in calves. These vaccines-natural host systems will also serve as the basis for design of effective HRSV vaccines.

Planned Impact

This proposal focuses on the generation of novel bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) vaccine candidates. BRSV is a respiratory virus associated bovine respiratory disease complex, which is a major problem for the cattle industry and is closely related to human RSV (HRSV) in terms of virus structure and associated clinical disease. It results in considerable morbidity and mortality in cattle, and particularly young calves, worldwide. Efficacy of current vaccines is limited and there is a major need for a much more effective vaccine. The immunogenicity of current vaccines is compromised by the presence of maternal antibodies. This current proposal will target the exploitation of a combination of novel technologies to generate novel BRSV vaccines. Specifically, we will bring together world-renowned expertise in paramyxovirus reverse genetics, structure-based vaccine antigen design, and vaccine development to generate a new generation of BRSV vaccines that we are confident will circumvent many of the limitations of current vaccines. This will include the use of Sendai virus (SeV) and parainfluenza virus type 5 (PIV5) as vectors to deliver BRSV vaccine antigens. As neither of these viruses is found in cattle and there is no known cross-reactivity with bovine antibodies, problems associated with the presence of maternal antibodies will be circumvented. The use of SeV and PIV5 will facilitate development of a prime/boost vaccine regimen, which will circumvent virus vector-specific immunity induced by the 1st vaccine administration, as both viruses are antigenically distinct. Such a regimen is likely to maximize immune responses to the BRSV antigen. We will develop both replication competent and incompetent viruses for both SeV and PIV5. Our cumulative data, both published and unpublished, confirms that both replication competent viruses are independently highly efficient vectors for human RSV vaccine antigens in animal models. The development of replication-incompetent SeV and PIV5 viral vectors will address some safety concerns related to environmental dissemination of recombinant viruses, and will involve the generation of novel rescue technologies for both viruses. We will exploit novel state-of-the-art structure-based vaccine design to generate the most highly immunogenic BRSV antigen, based on the use of a pre-fusion stable F protein construct. Precedence for this was demonstrated for a human RSV pre-fusion F-based vaccine, which was shown to be many fold superior to native F as a vaccine antigen (Science. 2013 342(6158):592-8; McLellan JS et al,Science. 2013 May 31;340(6136):1113-7). Finally, we will bring all of these complementary but disparate elements together to develop novel BRSV vaccines and vaccine regimens and test their efficacy in the final host target for the use of these vaccines, i.e., calves.
Therefore, reasonable outcomes of this project will include:
- novel rescue technologies for replication incompetent SeV and PIV5 vectors;
- novel BRSV vaccines based on replication competent and incompetent SeV and PIV5 vectors expressing BRSV pre-fusion F;
- a novel vaccine regimen to induce efficient protective immunity against BRSV, even in the presence of maternal antibodies;
- a novel BRSV vaccine and regimen with sufficient data to justify commercial development.
- in view of the considerable similarities between BRSV and HRSV, both virologically and clinically, the data derived from this study will likely inform future vaccine strategies for HRSV.
As such, this project is likely to have a considerable impact on UK industry, both biotech and agricultural, and increase the reputation of the UK as a world leader in vaccine design and technologies that directly impact on society.
 
Description Since our last report, we have:
1. Completed the in vivo component of mouse studies with replication competent SeV and PIV5 vectors expressing bRSV Fwt, pre-F or eGFP, using single and prime/boost (with the heterologous vaccine vectors) vaccine regimens.
2. Completed the in vivo component of mouse studies with replication incompetent SeV vectors expressing bRSV Fwt, pre-F or eGFP, using single and prime/boost vaccine regimens.
3. Established robust ELISA assays to quantify anti-bRSV F total IgG antibody titres in the vaccinated mice.
4. Determined the anti-bRSV F total IgG titres in all vaccinated and control groups.
5. Established a robust virus neutralising antibody assay for bRSV.
6. Established a robust protocol for quantifying multiple T cell responses to bRSV F protein antigens.
Our studies to demonstrate vaccine efficacy in calves have been massively delayed because of considerable problems arising due to the pandemic. Most of these problems are now resolved.
Exploitation Route We have successfully generated a virus vector vaccine platform based on the use of recombinant Sendai virus. We have exploited data generated from this project to obtain funding from other funding agencies to support a project to develop novel vaccine candidates against Nipah virus and bovine parainfluenza virus type 3.
We have initiate discussions with a number of pharmaceutical companies with a view to partnering in the development of our vaccine candidates, some of whom have expressed considerable interest in our platform. These discussions are ongoing, and future partnerships will be dependent on the data generated from our animal studies, in particular the calf efficacy experiments.
We expect the vaccines generated as part of this project to be the subject of patent applications.
Sectors Agriculture

Food and Drink

Healthcare

Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology

 
Description Cattle Trials of Novel Mucosal Vectored Vaccines for Bovine Parainfluenza-3.
Amount £20,000 (GBP)
Funding ID 2122-001(23POP07) 
Organisation Queen's University Belfast 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2023 
End 09/2023
 
Description DAERA PhD studentship scheme 2018
Amount £62,106 (GBP)
Organisation Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2018 
End 08/2021
 
Description Development of a Muscosal Virus Vectored Vaccine for Parainfluenza Virus 3
Amount £62,106 (GBP)
Organisation Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2020 
End 09/2023
 
Description Further development and pig trial of novel biosafe Nipah virus vaccines for pig and human application
Amount £112,495 (GBP)
Funding ID PoC 907 
Organisation Invest Northern Ireland 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2020 
End 03/2021
 
Title Bovine RSV calf challenge model 
Description As part of Aim 4 of this project, a major milestone was the development of a bovine RSV challenge model in calves. Our collaborators in AFBI, under the direction of Prof. Cosby, have successfully developed the challenge model, as demonstrated by the induction of strong clinical symptoms and extensive lung pathology in calves following infection with bRSV strain 274, which is a wild type Swedish isolate. The challenge virus was delivered by aerosolisation. Clinical symptoms included nasal mucus secretion, raised rectal temperatures (peak 40oC) and increased respiratory rate, peaking at 6-7 days post infection. Lung pathology was demonstrated by macroscopic lesions and histopathology. qRT-PCR demonstrated robust virus growth kinetics in nasal tissues, as determined by daily sampling, and high virus titres were determined in lung tissues at necropsy and associated with strong disperse immunofluorescence in lung tissues. Importantly, the challenge virus was generated by passage in foetal bovine lung cells without subsequent passage in calves, as proposed in the initial application. Thus, the number of animals used for this part of the project was reduced relative to the anticipated numbers. Furthermore this challenge model was effective even in the presence of moderate levels of maternal antibody. 
Type Of Material Model of mechanisms or symptoms - mammalian in vivo 
Year Produced 2018 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact As this model has only recently been established, there are no impacts to report as yet. 
 
Title Development of a rescue system for replication incompetent Sendai viruses 
Description We generated a novel protocol for rescuing replication-incompetent (ri)Sendai virus (SeV) as a vaccine vector with increased biosafety. This involved the deletion of the SeV F gene from our improved infectious clone, such that rescued viruses would be capable of infecting and replicating in cells, but the progeny viruses would not be infectious. To rescue and amplify the riSeVs, we generated cell lines stably expressing the SeV F protein. The SeV F protein was mutated to include a furin-like cleavage site, thereby obviating the need for addition of exogenous trypsin to the medium, which is required for cleavage of SeV F wild type. 
Type Of Material Technology assay or reagent 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact We have generated novel replication incompetent SeVs expressing eGFP and the target vaccine antigens for this BBSRC project. 
 
Title Improved rescue system for recombinant Sendai virus 
Description As part of this project, we have systematically revisited our Sendai virus (SeV) reverse genetics protocol and optimized conditions to rescue recombinant Sendai viruses expressing heterologous genes. This included introducing a hammerhead ribozyme immediately upstream of the Sendai virus genome leader sequence in the infectious clone and mutations in the artificial EIS sequence designed to prevent homologous recombination associated with the use of vaccinia virus expressing T7 polymerase (which drives transcrption of the infectious clone and helper plasmids). We have also corrected an inversion in the L gene of the infectious clone, which affected rescue efficiency. We have included the use of LLC-MK2 cells as part of the rescue protocol. Recombinant SeVs expressing eGFP and glycoproteins from other paramyxoviruses have been successfully rescued and we are exploring possibilities for a patent submission on our updated protocol. 
Type Of Material Technology assay or reagent 
Year Produced 2019 
Provided To Others? No  
Impact We have exploited our modified SeV rescue system to generate rSeVs expressing eGFP and a glycoprotein from a different paramyxovirus. 
 
Description AFBI 
Organisation Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution I am the project coordinator and have brought together a team of international experts in vaccine generation and development with a view to developing a novel vaccine against bovine RSV. My team brings the Sendai virus vaccine vector platform to the table.
Collaborator Contribution AFBI provide expertise in calf models of bRSV infection and vaccine immunogenicity and protective efficacy testing.
Impact There are no outputs from this collaboration yet.
Start Year 2017
 
Description University of Georgia 
Organisation University of Georgia
Country United States 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I am the project coordinator and have brought together a team of international experts in vaccine generation and development with a view to developing a novel vaccine against bovine RSV. My team brings the Sendai virus vaccine vector platform to the table.
Collaborator Contribution My collaborator brings the PIV5 vaccine vector platform to the table for this grant.
Impact There are not outcomes yet from this project.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Vaccine Research Centre, NIAID, NIH, USA 
Organisation National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Department Vaccine Research Center (VRC)
Country United States 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution I am the project coordinator and have brought together a team of international experts in vaccine generation and development with a view to developing a novel vaccine against bovine RSV. My team brings the Sendai virus vaccine vector platform to the table.
Collaborator Contribution Our collaborators provided the information necessary to generate the bovine RSV pre-fusion stabilised F protein construct.
Impact There are no outputs from this project yet.
Start Year 2017
 
Title Development of a rescue system to generate replication incompetent Sendai virus vectors 
Description We have successfully developed a novel rescue system for replication incompetent Sendai viruses (SeV). This involved deleting the SeV F gene from the infectious clone and generating helper cell lines expressing the SeV F protein, mutated to remove the necessity for the addition of exogenous trypsin to the medium. 
Type Support Tool - For Medical Intervention
Current Stage Of Development Initial development
Year Development Stage Completed 2020
Development Status Under active development/distribution
Impact This development is in the very early stages of in vitro development and will likely be the subject of IP protection in due course. 
 
Title Generation of vaccines against bovine respiratory syncytial virus based on replication incompetent Sendai virus 
Description We have generated replication incompetent Sendai viruses expressing either vaccine or reporter antigens. The vaccine antigens are derived from bovine respiratory syncytial virus. These are currently under pre-clinical characterisation prior to testing in animals. 
Type Therapeutic Intervention - Vaccines
Current Stage Of Development Refinement. Non-clinical
Year Development Stage Completed 2020
Development Status Under active development/distribution
Impact These novel vaccines are still in pre-clinical in vitro characterisation and will be the subject of studies in animals soon. As such, their impacts remain to be confirmed. 
 
Title Novel vaccines against bovine respiratory syncytial virus 
Description We have generated novel vaccine candidates against bovine respiratory syncytial virus based on replication competent Sendai virus as a vaccine vector. The vaccine antigens include with F and pre-F configurations of the bRSV surface glycoprotein. They have undergone extensive pre-clinical characterisation in vitro, in preparation for vaccine studies in animals. 
Type Therapeutic Intervention - Vaccines
Current Stage Of Development Initial development
Year Development Stage Completed 2020
Development Status Under active development/distribution
Impact These vaccines are still under development and will be the subject of imminent vaccine trials in appropriate animal species. 
 
Description Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock online workshop. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Professor Louise Cosby (LC) attended an online workshop organised by CIEL (Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock) on Monday 21st November 2022. CIEL has launched an Open Innovation Group (OIG) on Animal Health and Welfare and the online workshop was held with institutions and industry to try to identify important areas of interest. The OIG aim is to provide a forum where they can collectively identify and tackle important animal health and welfare challenges. The vision is to build effective collaborative partnerships and work on opportunities for innovation, sharing our ideas and expertise. LC flagged up the need for improved vaccines for bovine respiratory disease.
As a result of the contribution to the workshop, LC hosted a visit by Dr O'Gorman (the animal Health specialist from CIEL) to AFBI, Veterinary Sciences Division on Wed 1st March 2023. LC presented the work on the BRSV vaccines and others on the same platform as well as other related research aspects.
CIEL is one of four Agri-Tech Centres of Excellence set up by the UK Government in 2016. CIEL is an industry led organisation which aims to connect organisations with additional industrial or academic partners to deliver real-world innovation throughout the supply chain. Operating across all farmed animal systems, CIEL acts to identify suitable funding and provide support throughout the application and project delivery processes. Members of CIEL benefit from multiple state-of-the-art research facilities, private knowledge exchange networks and an opportunity to help shape national agricultural policies.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Final year undergraduate research project 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact A 3rd year MSci student selected my undergraduate year 3 research project, as part of her obligations to fulfill requirements for her MSci degree in Biochemistry from Queen's University Belfast. Because of this experience, she decided to undertake her year long research project as part of the requirements to complete her MSci degree.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Final year undergraduate research project 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact I hosted an undergraduate student in my laboratory on a virtual project to design a novel RSV vaccine.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Final year undergraduate research project 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact An undergraduate student chose to complete her final year undergraduate research project in my laboratory on a project directly related the this project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Global Conference on Vaccines Research and Development - keynote talk 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Professor Louise Cosby attended the virtual Global Conference on Vaccines Research and Development 26th and 27th August 2021 and gave a keynote talk 'The Need for New Virus Vaccines in Human and Veterinary Medicine with Novel Approaches to Design and Validation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.pagesconferences.com/2021/vaccines-research
 
Description Meetings with pharmaceutical company representatives 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact As part of this research project, we have had meetings with several pharmaceutical companies to discuss our bRSV vaccine project. Some of these companies have expressed interest in our project and await further data. We will revisit these connections once we have completed our data acquisition for our in vivo studies.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020,2021
 
Description Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Poster presentation by PhD students Courtney Hawthorn entitled "Generation and Trial of Virus Vectored Vaccines for Bovine Respiratory Viruses". The conference was held in the ICC Birmingham, April 17020, 2023.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://microbiologysociety.org/event/annual-conference/annual-conference-2023.html
 
Description Networking at World Congress of Vaccines 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact One-on-one or small group discussions were organised through the conference website to facilitate networking and collaboration discussions with potential partners for further development or commercialisation of the vaccine candidate outcomes of this project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.terrapinn.com/conference/world-vaccine-congress-washington/index.stm?utm_campaign=10160_...
 
Description Networking at the World Vaccine Congress Europe 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact One-on-one or small group discussions were organised through the conference website to facilitate networking and collaboration discussions with potential partners for further development or commercialisation of the vaccine candidate outcomes of this project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.terrapinn.com/conference/world-vaccine-congress-europe/
 
Description Northern Ireland Science Festival 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact My team provided an overview of the research undertaken in my group, with emphasis on viruses, the diseases that they cause and how they are transmitted. This was part of an open day at the Wellcome Wolfson Institute of Experimental Medicine at Queen's University Belfast, which was part the Northern Ireland Science Festival 2018. The audience ranged in age from young children to adults.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Oral presentation at QUB School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences PGR Forum 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Oral presentation by Courtney Hawthorn entitled "Generation and Trial of Virus Vectored Vaccines for Bovine Respiratory Viruses" at the annual QUB School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences Postgraduate Research Forum 2023.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/CentreforPublicHealth/Research/EpidemiologyPublicHealth/Aging...
 
Description Oral presentation at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Oral presentation at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2022.
Title: Characterization of a novel recombinant paramyxovirus vectored vaccine against Bovine Respiratory Syncytial virus
Authors: Olivier Touzelet1, Courtney Hawthorn1, Caitlin Hull1, Anna P. De Oliveira1, M. Cristina Huertas-Diaz2, Elizabeth Wrobel2, Joanne Lemon3, Peter Kwong4, Barney Graham4, Biao He2, Louise Cosby3, Ultan F. Power1
Affiliations:
1Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University, Belfast
2Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, USA
3Virology Department, Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast
4Vaccine Research Centre, National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, USA
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://microbiologysociety.org/event/annual-conference/annual-conference-2022.html
 
Description Oral presentation by PhD student Courtney Hawthorn at the Queen's University Belfast-AFBI Alliance Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Oral presentation by PhD students Courtney Hawthorn at the QUB-AFBI Alliance Conference entitled "Characterisation and Trial of Virus Vectored Vaccines for Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus". It was held on Riddel Hall, Queen's University Belfast, on November 13, 2023
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.queensafbialliance.co.uk/Events/Queens-AFBIPhDStudentConference2023.html
 
Description Poster presentation at the 12th International RSV Symposium, 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Oral presentation at the 12th International RSV Symposium, Belfast 2022. This was the biggest ever international RSV meeting.
Title: Novel paramyxovirus vectored vaccines induce high neutralising antibody titres and specific T cell responses against bovine Respiratory Syncytial virus.
Authors: Olivier Touzelet1, Courtney Hawthorn1, Caitlin Hull1, Anna P. De Oliveira1, M. Cristina Huertas-Diaz2, Elizabeth Wrobel2, Joanne Lemon3, Peter Kwong4, Barney Graham4, Biao He2, Louise Cosby3, Ultan F. Power1
Affiliations:
1Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University, Belfast
2Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, USA
3Virology Department, Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast
4Vaccine Research Centre, National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, USA.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://isirv.org/site/index.php/9-events/497-12th-rsv-symposium
 
Description Poster presentation at the 12th International RSV Symposium, 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Poster presentation at the 12th International RSV Symposium, which was held in Belfast from September 29th to October 2nd, 2022. This was the biggest ever international RSV meeting.
Title: Generation of a Mucosal Virus Vectored Vaccine for Bovine Parainfluenza Virus 3.
Authors: Courtney Hawthorn1, Olivier Touzelet1, Yemmy Parades-Pizarro1, Louise Cosby2, Ultan F. Power1
Affiliations:
1 Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast
2 Virology Department, Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://isirv.org/site/index.php/9-events/497-12th-rsv-symposium
 
Description Poster presentation at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Poster presentation at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference, 2023.
Title: Generation of a Mucosal Virus Vectored Vaccine for Bovine Parainfluenza Virus 3
Affiliations:
1 Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast
2 Virology Department, Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://microbiologysociety.org/event/annual-conference/annual-conference-2023.html
 
Description Poster presentation at the Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine annual meeting 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Poster presentation at the Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine annual meeting, 2022, held in Belfast.
Title: Generation of a Mucosal Virus Vectored Vaccine for Bovine Parainfluenza Virus 3
Authors: Courtney Hawthorn1, Olivier Touzelet1, Louise Cosby2, Ultan F. Power1
Affiliations:
1 Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast
2 Virology Department, Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.svepm.org.uk/past_meetings.html
 
Description Poster presentation at the annual AFBI-QUB Alliance day, 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Poster presentation at the annual AFBI-QUB Alliance day, held in Belfast, November 14th, 2022.
Title: Generation of a Mucosal Virus Vectored Vaccine for Bovine Parainfluenza Virus 3
Authors: Courtney Hawthorn1, Olivier Touzelet1, Yemmy Parades-Pizarro1, Louise Cosby2, Ultan F. Power1
Affiliations:
1 Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast
2 Virology Department, Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Poster presentation at the annual WWIEM Postdoctoral Research Symposium 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Poster presentation at the annual Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine Postdoctoral Research Symposium 2022.
Title: Characterization of a novel recombinant paramyxovirus vectored vaccine against Bovine Respiratory Syncytial virus.
Authors: Olivier Touzelet1, Courtney Hawthorn1, Caitlin Hull1, Anna P. De Oliveira1, M. Cristina Huertas-Diaz2, Elizabeth Wrobel2, Joanne Lemon3, Peter Kwong4, Barney Graham4, Biao He2, Louise Cosby3, Ultan F. Power1
Affiliations:
1Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University, Belfast
2Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, USA
3Virology Department, Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast
4Vaccine Research Centre, National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, USA.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Poster presentation by Courtney Hawthorn at the British Society for Immunology annual congress 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Our PhD student Courtney Hawthorn presented a poster of our research at the British Society for Immunology annual congress in ICC Belfast, December 4-7, 2023. This provided the opportunity to present our research to national and international opinion leaders and peers in immunology.
Title: Generation and Trial of Mucosal Virus Vectored Vaccines for Bovine Respiratory Viruses
Authors: Courtney Hawthorn, Olivier Touzelet, Caitlin Hull, Anna P. De Oliveira, M.Cristina Huertas-Diaz, Joanne Lemon, Laura Devine, Barney Graham, Peter Kwong, Biao He, Louise Cosby, Ultan F. Power.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.bsicongress.com/bsi/frontend/reg/thome.csp?pageID=11575&eventID=13&CSPCHD=000001000000p6...
 
Description Presentation at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine Postdoctoral Research Symposium 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Dr. Olivier Touzelet presented his research entitled "Sendai virus (SeV) as a vaccine vector for bovine respiratory syncytial virus (bRSV) and Nipah virus (NiV)" at the annual Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine Postdoctoral Research Symposium 2021.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Presentation at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine Postdoctoral Research symposium 2020 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Dr. Olivier Touzelet presented his work entitled "Characterization of a novel recombinant paramyxovirus vectored vaccine against Bovine Respiratory Syncytial virus" at the annual Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Postdoctoral Research symposium.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Presentation at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine Postdoctoral Research symposium 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Dr. Olivier Touzelet present his work entitle "Characterization of a novel recombinant paramyxovirus vectored vaccine against Bovine Respiratory Syncytial virus" at the annual Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine 2022, for which he won best poster prize.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Presentation to secondary school students in Belfast on the importance of viral vaccines. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact Prof. Ultan Power presented a webinar to secondary school student members for the Belfast Schools Medical Society (BEST) entitled "Importance of vaccines to tackle viral infections" on February 5, 2024
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://www.belfastschoolsmedicalsociety.com/
 
Description Prof. Cosby invited talk at the 1st International Electronic Conference on Vaccines: RNA Vaccines, Current Challenges and Future Developments 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Prof. Louise Cosby was invited to present a talk at the online 1st International Electronic Conference on Vaccines: RNA Vaccines, Current Challenges and Future Developments on December 1, 2023.
Title: Large Animal Challenge Models for Assessment of Veterinary and Human vaccines
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://sciforum.net/event/iecv2023?section=#custom3402
 
Description Public outreach virology activity at the annual Balmoral Show 2023 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Our group provided an educational stand entitled 'Build a virus activity', as part of the Queen's University Belfast exhibition at the Balmoral Show 2023. The QUB exhibition scooped the best overall Trade Stand at the Balmoral Show. The Balmoral Show attracted over 100,000 visitors over the 4 days of the event.
Virology team contributors: Connor Bamford, Stefano Bonazza, Erin Getty, Courtney Hawthorn, Mary McCabe and Ultan Power.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.qub.ac.uk/public-engagement/BusinessEngagement/Events/2023Events/BalmoralShow2023/
 
Description Summer studentship 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact A 2nd year undergraduate student undertook an 8 week summer studentship in my laboratory, working on parts of this project. Following this, she successfully applied for funding from DAERA to undertake her PhD in my laboratory, working on aspects this project.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Vaccines Summit Ohio 2021 (virtual) invited speaker 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Professor Louise Cosby was an invited speaker at the Vaccines Summit Ohio 2021 (virtual) on 3rd March 2021 and gave a talk entitled 'New veterinary mucosal vaccine development and challenge models'.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.rsc.org/events/detail/44889/vaccines-summit-ohio-2021
 
Description Webinar for secondary school students in Mount Sion CBS, Waterford, Ireland by Prof. Power 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact Prof. Power presented a webinar entitled "Respiratory virus pandemics and epidemics: Are we ready?" to secondary school students in Mount Sion CBS, Waterford, Ireland, on November 18, 2022.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.mountsioncbssecondary.ie/
 
Description Wellcome Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine open day "Know Your Enemy: Disease-Focussed Research at Queen's University". 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Dr. Power gave a talk on vaccines, providing an overview of the history of vaccines,the amazing successes associated with 2 vaccines (smallpox and rinderpest), the immunology behind vaccines, and the concept of risk/benefit in relation to vaccine use.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.nisciencefestival.com/event.php?e=141
 
Description Wellcome Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine open day "Know Your Enemy: Disease-Focussed Research at Queen's University". 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact My team provided an overview of the research undertaken in my group, with emphasis on viruses, the diseases that they cause and how they are transmitted. Members of my team devised several games including 'Catch the Sneeze' and 'Virus match-up'. Okido (Breathing Together project partner) provided magazines, soft books and supplies for make-and-do activities, such as making inflatable paper bag lungs. This was part of an open day at the Wellcome Wolfson Institute of Experimental Medicine at Queen's University Belfast, which was part the Northern Ireland Science Festival 2019. The audience ranged in age from young children to adults. Feedback for the event was overwhelmingly positive with attendees mentioning our stand as a highlight of the day.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/wwiem/EducationandTraining/Outreach/NIScienceFestival2019/
 
Description Work experience secondary school student 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact In May 2017, my lab hosted a work experience secondary school student from Bloomfield Collegiate School. The student shadowed different activities in the lab and attended our lab meeting to learn about the research we conduct.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Work experience secondary school students 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact We had 3 secondary school students visit my lab at different times throughout the year to experience research activities first hand.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019