Horizon Europe, the European Union’s research and innovation funding program until 2027, funded the REPRODIVAC project, a new project whose goal is to develop vaccines and improve diagnostic tests for endemic and zoonotic reproductive pathogens in livestock in order to strengthen the viability of animal feed systems, improve animal welfare, reduce the use of antimicrobials in agriculture and ultimately protect public health from a Global Health or “One Health” perspective.
Over the next five years, 16 partners representing 7 European countries (Italy, UK, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland) will work together to focus on four of the most economically important abortion diseases of cattle: abortion enzootic disease of sheep (OAS), one of the most common infectious causes of abortion in small ruminants worldwide, produced by Chlamydial abortion; Q Fever, a severe, highly contagious zoonosis with global impact caused by Coxiella burnetii; porcine brucellosis caused by brucella am, a neglected disease with high zoonotic impact in the countries of America and Asia and with the potential to re-emerge in Europe; and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS virus), which is responsible for significant losses in the pig industry worldwide.
The consortium spans academia and industry, with complementary expertise including structural biology, microbiology, immunology and veterinary science. This will allow addressing the aforementioned reproductive disorders with an interdisciplinary approach: (1) apply reverse and structural vaccinology to select and design candidate antigens for vaccines and diagnosis (2) exploit protein expression systems for the production of these antigens; (3) production of rationally attenuated vaccines and viral vectors; and (4) develop a range of molecular and immunological diagnostic tests, including in situ tests (POCs) to distinguish vaccinated from infected animals (DIVA).
Infectious diseases of livestock have a significant economic impact (the value of the world market for animal health is around 40,000 million euros) and animal welfare and threaten food safety and public health. For example, in the swine sector, annual losses due to the respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus (PRRSV) in the United States and Europe alone exceed $ 600 million and € 1,500 million, respectively.
The REPRODIVAC project will strengthen European capacities and expertise by creating a global network of leading European scientists, international organizations and partners to advance research and promote technological developments.
In particular: ENEA (National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Italy, Coordinator), ENSL (Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France, Partner), WUR (University and Research of Wageningen, Netherlands, Partner), UDL (University of Lleida, Spain, Partner), CEP (Consorci Center d’estudis Porcins, Spain, Affiliated entity), CEVA (CEVA Animal Health, France, Partner), FLI (Friedrich-Loeffler Institut, Germany, Partner ), CITA (Agrifood Research and Technology Center of Aragon, Spain, Partner), UON (University of Navarra, Spain, Partner), UMU (University of Murcia, Spain, Partner), EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Associate Member, GSP (Associacio Porcsa-Grup de Sanejament Porcì, Spain, Associate Member), CZV (CZ Vaccines SA, Spain, Associate Member), GDX (Global DX Ltd, United Kingdom, Associate Member), TPI, The Pirbright Institute, United Kingdom, Associate Member), MRI (Moredun Research Institute, United Kingdom Mie partner).
The new vaccines and diagnostic tests will be developed and made available to users by the industrial partners involved in the project. In this way, using the latest technologies in the development of these vaccines and tests, REPRODIVAC will improve animal health and welfare, productivity and sustainability of the livestock sector, as well as human health.
The REPRODIVAC project will be implemented from 2022 to 2027 with a total budget of 6 million euros. The project is partially funded (3,125,324 euros) by the Horizon Europe program of the European Union. The 16 partners come from Italy, the UK, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, made up of prestigious scientists and companies who have extensive experience in bringing science to applications in the food industry. Pilar María Muñoz, researcher at the CITA Department of Animal Sciences, and her team, specializing in the study of animal brucellosis, participate in this European project with the aim of developing a vaccine against porcine brucellosis and improving techniques for a diagnosis. unambiguous of this infection.
