VACCINE DEVELOPMENT

ROTAVAX - Pigeon 

• We successful commercialized a effective vaccine to protect racing pigeons from a deadly strain of rotavirus. 

Crocodile Pox Virus

• Funded by CRC-P for Developing Northern Australia we are working with Porous Ltd to develop a recombinant subunit vaccine  to protect farmed crocodiles from the skin marks caused by a pox virus.

Fasciola heptica vaccine

• In conjugation with VirBac Animal Health and funding provided ARC-Linkage grant we are currently investigating the use of several protein antigens to develop vaccine against Fasciola heptica. 

PIGS
Enhancing swine health through the "Spinycterin" platform.

This project aims to enhance swine health and welfare by developing a commercially viable vaccine against Japanese encephalitis virus and porcine rotavirus using the innovative “Spinycterin” platform. This platform addresses limitations of traditional vaccines, providing a safe, cost-effective, and scalable solution against infections in pigs. This vaccine platform was designed for its quick adaptability to new pathogens, and it is rapid to development and produce. Successful development of this vaccine will significantly benefit the Australian and global swine industry by reducing productivity losses, mortality rates, and veterinary costs, while also creating opportunities for future vaccines targeting various pathogens. 

Researcher: Gemma Zerna

ABALONE
Novel Strategies to Combat HaHV-1 in Farmed Abalone.

Abalone viral ganglioneuritis (AVG), caused by Haliotid herpesvirus 1 (HaHV-1), is a devastating disease with a mortality rate of 90%. Early outbreaks in the 2000s in Asia and Australia led to significant economic losses. Current prevention methods rely on biosecurity, which is impractical for land-based farms using ocean water. Traditional vaccines are ineffective for abalone due to their lack of adaptive immunity. This project investigates immune priming as a novel preventative strategy. Immune priming has shown success in oysters against Ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) and their progeny through transgenerational immune priming. The research aims to understand the antiviral immune response of Australian farmed abalone to HaHV-1 and various immune priming agents for disease resilience. The study involves screening different agents for protection and comparing delivery methods such as immersion and feed platforms. The goal is to identify effective antiviral agents and delivery methods that, combined with biosecurity measures, could significantly reduce AVG-related losses. Additionally, this antiviral delivery platform could be applied to other aquatic species, providing insights into the innate immune responses of aquatic invertebrates and their interactions with pathogens

PhD student: Danielle Ackerly

HONEY BEES

Development of a single shot vaccine for protection against American and European Foulbrood infections in honey bees.

This project aims to tackle two  major bacterial infections that have significant economic impacts on beekeeping, namely American Foulbrood (AFB) and European Foulbrood (EFB). There is no known cure for AFB and treating EFB with antibiotics poses concerns of resistance and chemical residues in honey. Recent progress in AFB treatment involves the development of an oral “vaccine” that provides 30-50% protection to new bee larvae through the process of trans-generational immune priming (TGIP). Despite this advancement the effectiveness of TGIP in honey bees remains controversial. This work aims to create an efficient single-shot vaccine for trans-generational immune priming using bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) obtained from the pathogenic bacteria. BEVs contain various cargo including nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids, that will activate the honey bee immune system and resolve the challenges encountered with existing honey bee immune priming vaccines.

PhD student: Olivia Ducommun-Dit-Verron

GOATS
Development antigen display systems to control fasiolosis in livestock. 

This project focuses on developing new strategies to control fasciolosis, a parasitic disease affecting livestock, by investigating vaccine antigens, adjuvants, and immune responses. The research examined the role of natural antibodies (NAbs) in immune evasion and vaccine efficacy, identifying a correlation between NAbs and parasite burden. In addition, mucosal vaccination in cattle using a chimeric antigen was tested, though it provided limited protection. To further evaluate adjuvants, two innovative antigen display systems were developed, showing potential for future large-scale vaccine trials in goats.  

Researcher: Gemma Zerna

• Watson A, Agius J, Ackerly D, Beddoe T, Helbig K. (2022), The Role of Anti-Viral Effector Molecules in Mollusc Hemolymph. Biomolecules, 12; 345

• Zerna G, Cameron TC, Toet H, Spithill TW, Beddoe T. (2022) Bovine Natural Antibody Relationships to Specific Antibodies and Fasciola hepatica Burdens after Experimental Infection and Vaccination with Glutathione S-Transferase. Vet Sci., 9, 58

• Zerna G, Rathinasamy VA, Toet H, Anderson G, Dempster R, Spithill TW, Beddoe T. Evaluation of Immunogenicity and Efficacy of Fasciola hepatica Tetraspanin 2 (TSP2) Fused to E. coli Heat-Labile Enterotoxin B Subunit LTB Adjuvant Following Intranasal Vaccination of Cattle. Vaccines (Basel). 2021 Oct 20;9(11):1213. doi: 10.3390/vaccines9111213. PMID: 34835144; PMCID: PMC8623123.