K-State Launches Vaccine Development Research Center

July 7, 2023

3 minute read

The Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine announced the launch of the new Center on Vaccine Evaluation and Alternatives for Antimicrobials, or CVEAA, to support the development and use of animal vaccines.

Jishu Shi, a professor of vaccine immunology and one of the university’s principal investigators on infectious diseases of swine, will serve as director of the center and one of the three principal faculty members. The new center will provide innovative services to global partners and customers by conducting safety and efficacy evaluations of vaccines for transboundary animal diseases, helping animal vaccine purchasers manage product specifications and quality assessment, and guiding feasibility analysis and the advocacy of vaccine policies as alternatives to the antimicrobials used in animal production.

“The Center on Vaccine Evaluation and Alternatives for Antimicrobials is a research and services center designed to address a number of unmet needs in the development and use of animal vaccines around the world,” Shi said.

In addition to research projects supported by the US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Homeland Security, the center will work closely with animal health industry partners to test the safety and efficacy of investigational vaccines for African swine fever, classical swine fever and swine reproductive and respiratory disease syndrome. It will also jointly develop new adjuvants for animal vaccines. The center will also work to evaluate diagnostic tools for swine infectious diseases, new antiviral compounds against swine viral pathogens, and novel disinfectants against African swine fever virus and other swine viral pathogens.

“Dr. Shi’s research experience in helping control the spread of African swine fever and his experience building coalitions among a wide variety of partners in private industry and government agencies make him uniquely qualified to lead this new center,” said Bonnie Rush, the Hodes family dean of the school of veterinary medicine. “He has already assembled an impressive team of researchers who will serve on an advisory board for the center and has identified several opportunities for collaboration in the short term since the center was established.”

Joining Shi as primary faculty for the center are Lihua Wang, research assistant professor of virology and vaccine immunology, and Rachel Madera, senior research scientist in anatomy and physiology. The center also includes the following principal investigators collaborating from K-State Veterinary College: Jianfa Bai, Santosh Dhakal, Natasha N. Gaudreault, Tae Kim, Waithaka Mwangi, Roman M. Pogranichniy, Jrgen A. Richt, and Dana L. Vanlandingham.

“The need to evaluate the safety and efficacy of investigational vaccines for high-risk transboundary animal diseases has increased significantly since 2018, but the availability of adequate high-level biosafety research facilities and associated expertise in the public and private is very limited,” said Shi. “Vaccines for transboundary animal diseases are often procured by international aid agencies. However, these agencies have very limited resources for fitness-for-purpose analysis and quality assessment of vaccines before they are purchased.”

Shi said the “One Health” initiative promoting vaccines as alternatives to antibiotics in pet food production practice faced multiple challenges, including the efficacy, availability and affordability of current bacterial vaccines. commercial.

“New policies and public-private partnerships are needed to accelerate targeted research and development of new vaccines to improve animal health and reduce antibiotic consumption and the risks of antimicrobial resistance,” Shi said.