VIDO scientists awarded close to $1 million in Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund competition

Five VIDO projects will benefit from funding through the Government of Saskatchewan's Agriculture Development Fund (ADF). The awards, announced Feb. 4, 2008 by Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud, total $833,430. The province awarded $8 million overall to institutions, companies and industry organizations carrying out research, development and value-added activities in the agriculture and agri-food sector.

The VIDO funding will support vaccine development against viruses and bacteria with serious impacts on the swine and cattle industries, and will enable development of more effective poultry vaccines.

The full list of successful projects may be viewed here (VIDO projects shown in excerpt below).

Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO)
120 Veterinary Road, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3

• Deletion of the N gene (also known as ORF7 gene) in the infectious cDNA clone of a North American PRRSV isolate.
• Establishment of a complementing cell line and rescue of the N-gene deleted PRRSV.
• Characterization of in vitro growth of the N-gene deleted PRRSV and its genetic stability.
• Evaluation of immunogenicity, safety and protective efficacy of the N-gene deleted PRRSV vaccine in pigs.

Contact: Alexander Zakhartchouk (306) 966-1511

Objectives:
• To test, in vitro, the synergy of two novel vaccine adjuvants, AMP and CpG oligonucleotides
A. Determine if CpG will enhance the activation of CPCMC (bovine peripheral blood cells) when incubated with AMPs.
B. Determine if AMPs and/or CpG can overcome the suppression of BPBMC immune functions caused by M. bovis.

• Assess immune responses of beef calves to combinations of AMP-GAPDH + CpG
• Develop an M. bovis co-infection model relevant to the feedlot industry.
• Assess the efficacy of experimental vaccines in beef calves exposed to a relevant and rigorous challenge with combinations of M bovis, BVDV and BHV-1.

Contact: Jose Perez-Casal (306) 966-1511

Objectives:
• Identify non-essential regions of turkey adenovirus (TAdV) genome for foreign gene insertion.
• Construct recombinant TAdV expressing poultry vaccine antigens.
• Evaluate the efficiency of recombinant TAdV to induce protective immune responses in poultry.

Contact: Suresh Tikoo (306) 966-1511

Objectives:
• Determine the response (genomic, proteomic and kinomic) of ileal macrophages and peripheral blood mononuclear cells to infection with MAP. (Years 1 and 2).
• Determine the response (genomic, proteomic and kinomic) of calves to infection with MAP using an intestinal loop model (Year 2 and 3).
• Determine the ability of various immunomodulators to activate macrophages for MAP killing (Year 2 and 3).
• Determine if local immunization results in protection against MAP (Year 3).

Contact: Andrew Potter (306) 766-7484

Objectives:
• To develop delivery methods for BVDV DNA-based vaccines that will lead to enhanced and/or prolonged antigen production.
• To formulate BVDV DNA-based vaccines with defensins, also called host defense peptides, to recruit and activate DCs at the vaccination site and thus optimize antigen uptake and presentation.
• To evaluate the optimal BVDV vaccine formulation and delivery method for induction of long-term immune memory and protection from BVDV.

Contact: Sylvia Van Den Hurk (306) 966-1559