UK Veterinary Vaccinology Network
Lead Research Organisation:
The Pirbright Institute
Department Name: Viral Immunology
Abstract
The UK livestock industry including cows, pigs, sheep and poultry is estimated to have an annual value of ~£10bn; poultry alone is £4bn (£85bn globally). The value of farmed fish is in excess of £1bn per annum. Global eradication of rinderpest using vaccination probably saves the economies of Africa ~£1bn per annum. The rapid deployment of vaccines to control bluetongue in 2007 is estimated to have saved the UK economy ~£0.5bn in 2008 alone.
There is huge potential to improve animal welfare and economic performance of the UK livestock industries by developing new vaccines for widespread infectious diseases. Endemic and exotic diseases are important targets for new control methods. For example, Mycobacterium bovis represents a currently intractable problem for the livestock industry and a major challenge for vaccine development. Foot-and-mouth disease virus is a constant threat to UK livestock and the shortcomings of the current vaccines limit their usefulness in endemically infected countries and during an outbreak in the UK.
There are some recurrent challenges in developing vaccines for a wide range of pathogens, for example, identifying protective antigens especially for large complex pathogens, defining correlates of protection, understanding the most effective antigen delivery methods and related to this stimulating long term protective immune responses.
The network will bring together scientists with a broad range of skills and experience to build teams to tackle these difficult problems.
A veterinary vaccinology network will provide opportunities to apply the latest developments in basic science to enhance control of veterinary diseases, for example, transcriptomic analysis of protective immune responses, high throughput methods to identify T cell and B cell epitopes and antigen delivery platforms.
There is huge potential to improve animal welfare and economic performance of the UK livestock industries by developing new vaccines for widespread infectious diseases. Endemic and exotic diseases are important targets for new control methods. For example, Mycobacterium bovis represents a currently intractable problem for the livestock industry and a major challenge for vaccine development. Foot-and-mouth disease virus is a constant threat to UK livestock and the shortcomings of the current vaccines limit their usefulness in endemically infected countries and during an outbreak in the UK.
There are some recurrent challenges in developing vaccines for a wide range of pathogens, for example, identifying protective antigens especially for large complex pathogens, defining correlates of protection, understanding the most effective antigen delivery methods and related to this stimulating long term protective immune responses.
The network will bring together scientists with a broad range of skills and experience to build teams to tackle these difficult problems.
A veterinary vaccinology network will provide opportunities to apply the latest developments in basic science to enhance control of veterinary diseases, for example, transcriptomic analysis of protective immune responses, high throughput methods to identify T cell and B cell epitopes and antigen delivery platforms.
Technical Summary
BBSRC invests approximately 10% of its research budget each year on vaccinology research. Clearly, this large investment has resulted in the establishment of groups carrying out innovative research, but generic technologies in biology, physics and chemistry that could impact on vaccine development programmes are moving at a pace. The veterinary vaccinology network will foster links to academia and industry to maximize the impact of UK expertise and facilities.
Prioritization of vaccine development programmes is essential to target research funding most efficiently. The network will help establish a platform to evaluate the financial burden of specific diseases and the potential cost benefit of vaccines to control these diseases based on realistic target product profiles.
Prioritization of vaccine development programmes is essential to target research funding most efficiently. The network will help establish a platform to evaluate the financial burden of specific diseases and the potential cost benefit of vaccines to control these diseases based on realistic target product profiles.
Planned Impact
Disease control strategies have a major impact on animal health, for example the eradication of Rinderpest is thought to have economic benefits worth £1 billion annually in Africa alone.
There are increasing concerns regarding outbreaks of major pathogens of livestock, due to intensification, which may impact on human health by interrupting food supply and zoonotic infections. These concerns highlight the need to understand disease transmission, pathogen evolution and protective immune responses in more detail to provide a rapid response to these disease threats. Vacccination will be a key tool for controlling these infections. Our network will bring together scientists with a broad range of expertise to establish collaborations to develop vaccinology research in the UK. The network will have a direct impact on at least two of the BBSRC strategic priorities: Global Food Security and Bioscience for Health.
In addition to active participation in vaccine-related research,the coordinating group individually and collectively serve on advisory committees or review the policies of a number of bodies including universities, government departments, Defra, the Department for International Development (DfID), EU, FAO, OIE, academic scientists, the UK livestock industry sector, developing countries, companies involved in vaccine and/or diagnostic kit production and hence are well positioned to inform the research agenda as well as public policy on disease control.
In addition to the obvious direct benefits from scientific advances in disease control and potential translational opportunities through commercial organisations that will be part of the network, the network will also help develop new tools and resources and train the next generation of scientists in this fast advancing field.
There are increasing concerns regarding outbreaks of major pathogens of livestock, due to intensification, which may impact on human health by interrupting food supply and zoonotic infections. These concerns highlight the need to understand disease transmission, pathogen evolution and protective immune responses in more detail to provide a rapid response to these disease threats. Vacccination will be a key tool for controlling these infections. Our network will bring together scientists with a broad range of expertise to establish collaborations to develop vaccinology research in the UK. The network will have a direct impact on at least two of the BBSRC strategic priorities: Global Food Security and Bioscience for Health.
In addition to active participation in vaccine-related research,the coordinating group individually and collectively serve on advisory committees or review the policies of a number of bodies including universities, government departments, Defra, the Department for International Development (DfID), EU, FAO, OIE, academic scientists, the UK livestock industry sector, developing countries, companies involved in vaccine and/or diagnostic kit production and hence are well positioned to inform the research agenda as well as public policy on disease control.
In addition to the obvious direct benefits from scientific advances in disease control and potential translational opportunities through commercial organisations that will be part of the network, the network will also help develop new tools and resources and train the next generation of scientists in this fast advancing field.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Bryan Charleston (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | The year started with the Network's first annual conference hosted at the ICC in Birmingham in February. Several public engagement events closely followed, whilst the end of the year focused on three veterinary Vaccinology topic specific workshops funded by the network including: Career Development workshop, hosted at the Moredun Institute; Bioinformatics workshop, hosted at The Roslin Institute and an Antigen Discovery and Proteomics of Host immune response workshop hosted at the University of Liverpool. UK Veterinary Vaccinology Network Conference 2016 Manchester 5th-6th January 2016 A two day conference that was attended by over 100 delegates from academia/research institutes, veterinary pharma/private sector and funding bodies. Structured themes included: 1. Transcriptomics and the global immune response 2. Novel Vaccines 3. Funders, collaborators an priorities in animal health research 4. Working effectively with industry The conference also included open case study sessions where three priority themes were discussed: 1. A new unknown veterinary pathogen has emerged, what would be your decision tree for developing a vaccine (or not) 2. Where can veterinary vaccinology have the biggest impact on the One Health Agenda? 3. Platform technologies: Doing what we do, better? The case study session provided delegates an opportunity to discuss with each other priority themes in the veterinary vaccinology field. MSD Animal Health and BioRad Serotech provided some sponsorship for the conference. Feedback received from the conference highlighted that it was a great opportunity to network with others in the field and form scientific research collaborations for future work. European Vaccinology Workshop 9th - 10th May 2016 A two day workshop co-hosted by UK Veterinary Vaccinology Network, European Union Horizon 2020 SAPHIR and PARAGONE Projects in Ghent, Belgium. A common theme among the projects is the knowledge and understanding of immune responses that underpin the design and development of vaccines and end-user relevance. The workshop had a variety of speakers in the field. Including veterinary economists, pharmaceutical vaccinologists, scientists researching adjuvant use and correlates of protection. This workshop focused on a large amount of audience discussion, with the help of Bruno Goddeeris who prompted discussion during the workshop. The workshop had a mixture of senior scientists and early career researchers leading to many informal discussions. The meeting was attended by 58 delegates. Feedback from ECRs highlighted how beneficial the workshop was including: • Discussions on socioeconomic aspects of veterinary vaccines (particularly as many ECRs are lab focused) • How academics and industry can work together • Social events and size of the workshop meant it was very friendly and easy to network • The network has provided a stage where people with varied skill set can interact at such workshops • Informal atmosphere of the meeting put an ECR at ease around established scientists • Great comparative insight into challenges facing vaccine development for higher vertebrates 4th Conference hosted at University of Stirling January 2018. 100 attendees over 2 days. Included an Early career session with prizes for early career researchers who presented their research to attendees and panel of judges. http://www.vetvaccnet.ac.uk/news/2018/01/uk-veterinary-vaccinology-network-conference-2018-report We have hosted two workshops in 2017-2018 on Immunological toolbox reports for both with following outputs: http://www.vetvaccnet.ac.uk/publications/uk-veterinary-vaccinology-network-toolbox-workshop-minutes (February 2018) 30 attendees, University of Stirling - minutes attached http://www.vetvaccnet.ac.uk/publications/veterinary-immunology-toolbox-meeting-uk-veterinary-vaccinology-network (August 2017) 25 attendees, held at Pirbright - minutes attached UK VetVaccNet steering group along with other international members and institute put a grant in for an International Veterinary Vaccinology Network to MRC and BBSRC- this was successfully funded and will take over from the UK network once funding is completed Dec 2019. www.intvetvaccnet.co.uk Feedback forms from conference 2018 highlight that members have been making collaborations and publishing from contacts made at network events. Monthly newsletter continues to be sent out as do network tweets. Newsletter goes out to over 1000 subscribers (50% UK based, 50% International). |
| Exploitation Route | The Veterinary Vaccinology Network is a multidisciplinary community who aim to address the unmet needs in veterinary vaccinology, continuing in the fight against animal diseases and consequently those that have the potential to spread to humans. The network aims to enhance collaborations between scientific researchers, industry, policy makers and regulators to design, develop and deliver safe and effective next-generation vaccines against new and (re)-emerging diseases. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| URL | http://www.vetvaccnet.ac.uk |
| Description | As part of the Oxfordshire Science Festival, the Jenner institute in collaboration with the British Society of Gene and Cell therapy, the British Society for Immunology and NIHR BRC hosted a Vaccines and Infectious Diseases day at the Oxford University of Natural History on 6th March 2015. This one day event hosted a range of fantastic presentations from high profile vaccinology speakers. Aimed at GCSE and A level students, presentations ranged from an introduction to immunity and infection as well as novel vaccines for Malaria, TB and Meningitis and a guest lecture from Professor Peter Piot, co-discoverer of the Ebola Virus. Cheltenham Science Festival 7th - 12th June 2016 The UK Veterinary Vaccinology Network secured extra funding (£4000.00) for the BBSRC to attend the Times Cheltenham science festival. The network had an activity tent which was shared over the week with The Jenner Institute, The Pirbright Institute and The Moredun Institute. These activity tents were attended by the general public and school parties. The network had an interactive engagement game commissioned Vaccinate! Which illustrates the features considered when trying to make a perfect vaccine. Users can try and save animals from various diseases. The activity tent also carried out two surveys to the general public: 1. Would use a vaccine that has been genetically modified - 88.3% stated they were in favour of GM vaccines. 2. The public was also asked what they thought is the most important criterion for a vaccine? 49.2% stated safety was the most important criterion, 27.9% stated effectiveness, 10.0% DIVA, 8.2% Cold chain, 4.9% cost. A number of members of the network volunteered at the festival. The network also sponsored a talk titled "Genetically Modified Vaccines' presented by Dr Bryan Charleston (The Pirbright Institute), Professor Adrian Hill and Professor Andrew Pollard (The Jenner Institute). The panel discussed the development of vaccines over time in both animal and human health leading to a debate with the audience around GM vaccines. This event was a sold-out event at the festival. Vet Record article: Working with GM Vaccines: engaging the public https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=clark+M.+GM+Vaccines Veterinary Vaccinology Network Mucosal Vaccinology Workshop Dr Sandrine Lesellier (Animal and Plant Health Agency) and Dr Tharangani Herath (Harper Adams University) met at a previous UK Veterinary Vaccinology workshop where they established the idea of hosting a Mucosal Vaccinology workshop. This was organised for 23rd September at APHA. Over 37 researchers and industrial partners attended the workshop which focused on four themes: • Reviewing current platforms for delivery to mucosal surfaces • To meet experts in the field • Develop collaborations for the development of veterinary mucosal vaccines • Assess gaps in Mucosal Vaccinology research Five speakers presented their mucosal vaccinology research and the day ended in a roundtable discussion where haps in mucosal vaccinology were highlighted. The roundtable discussion lead to heated discussion about the future of the field. Early Career Researcher Sponsorship to Keystone Symposium 25th - 29th October This year the network provided funding for early career researchers to register for a prestigious Keystone Symposium on translational vaccinology held in London. This was held instead of a third workshop for the year as it was felt it would provide a fantastic opportunity for ECRs to meet established scientists, top in the field and network with others from around the world. The scholarship was awarded to Dr Camilla Benfield. Camilla provided a report to the network outlining her experience at the symposium as well as published a short communication in the Vet Record on the symposium and pushing the OneHealth agenda of human and veterinary vaccinologists working together. http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/vr.i6099?ijkey=n4mpnYr5g9kMdR4&keytype=ref Blog - Dr Carol McNair - what to do about lousy Salmon? http://www.vetvaccnet.ac.uk/blog/2016/03/what-do-about-those-lousy-salmon Sheep Veterinary Society, British Cattle Veterinary Association, Hampshire Sheep Discussion Group Dr Karin Darpel and Professor Gary Entrican presented at the Sheep Veterinary Society. Professor Entrican gave a presentation on 'How vaccines work - benefits and uses' whilst Dr Karin Darpel provided an explanation of the Blue tongue virus vaccine currently used. Dr Karin Darpel also visited the BCVA and the Hampshire sheep discussion group to give similar presentations. Whilst at these meetings the UK Veterinary Vaccinology Network asked attendees to complete a survey. This survey covered similar questions used at the Cheltenham Festival public engagement event. The network asked attendees their views on what makes a perfect vaccine as well as the type of control and types of vaccines those working in practice and on farms use. This survey provided responses from end-users of vaccines. Social Media The network continues to have a regularly updated website and monthly newsletter with news items, funding, events and recent published papers. The newsletter has 459 subscribers, whilst the twitter page has 268 followers. There are approximately 500 members on the network website. The UK Veterinary vaccinology network as underpinned the establishment of the International network, which has received GCRF funding for the next 4 years. The objectives of the International Veterinary Vaccinology Network are: 1 - establish an interactive and multi-disciplinary Network to facilitate dissemination of knowledge and exchange of 'state-of-the-art' technology between members of the veterinary (and human) vaccinology communities. 2 - through this organisation, identify and fund collaborative teams with complementary expertise that through application of novel approaches can effectively address critical 'bottle-necks' in vaccine development for LMIC-relevant pathogens. 3 - through resolution of these obstacles advance the development of veterinary vaccines for LMIC-relevant diseases 4 - provide the scientific and logistical support for members to secure substantive funding to expand on the preliminary data generated by pump-priming funding. 5 - engage with a variety of industry partners, in both developed and LMIC countries, to ensure the sustainable delivery of effective vaccines |
| First Year Of Impact | 2015 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | International Veterinary Vaccinology Network |
| Amount | £1,957,023 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MR/R005958/1 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2017 |
| End | 06/2023 |