Improved animal vaccines thru [i.e. through] biotech

Washington State University will implement the project in coordination with California Biotechnology, Inc.; the USDA"s Plum Island Animal Disease Center, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and a Kenyan agency. Mali and/or Niger may also collaborate. Recent advances in vaccinia vector technology will be utilized to develop a vaccine which, unlike the effective tissue culture vaccine developed through traditional methods nearly 30 years ago, will not require refrigeration, trained personnel, or expensive facilities - conditions that are difficult to obtain in developing nations. Cattle owners will be able to use the cutaneous scab from an animal vaccinated with the recombinant vaccine to produce vaccine for other animals and to administer the vaccine themselves. To develop the vaccinia virus into a vaccine for rinderpest, researchers will attempt to: (1) clone the hemagglutinin and fusion protein immunogenic genes of rinderpest virus; (2) construct an infectious vaccinia virus recombinant that optimally expresses the two immunogenic genes of rinderpest virus; (3) measure immunity and protection against viral challenge in cattle vaccinated with the vaccine up to 12 months after vaccination; and (4) develop more effective promoters and improved techniques for enhanced expression of immunogenic genes in vaccinia virus recombinant vectors. Development and testing strategies are planned for each year of the 3 year project. The recombinant vaccine will be developed during year 1, animal testing conducted at Plum Island during year 2, and animal testing be conducted in Kenya during year 3 to demonstrate that the vaccine is ready for large-scale field testing. Amendment of 5/5/87 changes the PACD from 8/89 to 9/93 and adds a component to develop vaccinia virus vaccines for anaplasmosis and babesiosis and test them in containment facilities on a limited number of animals. This component, to be implemented by a competitively chosen contractor, will also disseminate research findings in LDC"s; provide LDC scientists and technicians with technical, graduate, and postdoctoral training, as well as on-the-job and in-service training; and develop an information exchange program. Up to $3 million in Mission, Bureau, and other buy-ins are expected. It is noted that the lead agency for rinderpest research is the University of California at Davis, not Washington State University. (PD-AAV-490).