World-leading scientists from the Animal Health Trust (AHT), the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Karolinska Institute and Intervacc AB, have developed a new protein-based vaccine to protect horses from strangles. Strangles is caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus equi, which causes horses to suffer from large pus-filled abscesses in their throat and neck. With an estimated 600 outbreaks of strangles each year in the UK alone, the development of the new vaccine will have tremendous benefits to the health of horses around the world.
“We are delighted to have shown that our Strangvac vaccine protected over 80% of horses from this dreadful disease,” said Prof. Jan-Ingmar Flock, CEO of Intervacc AB, the company that produced the vaccine. “Strangles is a scourge of the equine world and the development of Strangvac has the potential to prevent many thousands of horses from falling ill each year.”
Harnessing the Power of the Genome-Era
“Strangvac is an extremely exciting vaccine” explained Dr. Andrew Waller, Head of Bacteriology at the AHT. “The vaccine was designed using information from sequencing the DNA of Streptococcus equi and highlights the potential that the genome-era heralds for improving the health of animals and people. Improving the health of horses is a core aim of the Animal Health Trust and we are proud to have helped make this vaccine a reality towards finally breaking the hold this disease currently has on our horses.”
“Transfer of the manufacturing process and production of commercial batches are underway towards the registration and launch of Strangvac,” continued Prof. Flock, “and we anticipate that Strangvac will be available for use during 2020.”
Resources
“Strangvac: a recombinant fusion protein vaccine that protects against strangles, caused by Streptococcus equi” by Carl Robinson, Lars Frykberg, Margareta Flock, Bengt Guss, Andrew S. Waller and Jan-Ingmar Flock. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.01.030 . It appears in Vaccine, 2018, Feb 1, published by Elsevier.
About Vaccine
Vaccine is the pre-eminent journal for those interested in vaccines and vaccination. It is the official journal of The Edward Jenner Society and The Japanese Society for Vaccinology and is published by Elsevier www.elsevier.com/locate/vaccine.
About the Animal Health Trust
The Animal Health Trust is the UK’s leading veterinary and scientific research charity, dedicated to the health and wellbeing of dogs, cats and horses. It aims to improve the health and welfare of horses, dogs and cats through research, but also provides specialist referral services and continuous education to vets. Visit the website at www.aht.org.uk.
About Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences develops the understanding and sustainable use and management of biological natural resources. This is achieved by research, education and environmental monitoring and assessment. Research areas include agriculture, forestry, fishery, animal husbandry, veterinary medicine, environmental sciences and landscape architecture. Visit the website athttps://www.slu.se/en/.
About Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet is one of the world’s leading medical universities. Its vision is to significantly contribute to the improvement of human health. Karolinska Institutet accounts for the single largest share of all academic medical research conducted in Sweden and offers the country’s broadest range of education in medicine and health sciences. The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet selects the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine. Visit the website at http://ki.se/en/startpage.
About Intervacc AB
Intervacc AB is a company within the Biotechnology sector. The Company’s main area is to develop modern vaccines against economically important bacterial infections, mainly within animal health. The company’s vaccine candidates are based on several years of research at Karolinska Institutet and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences where the foundation was laid for the company’s research and development work. Visit the website at http://intervacc.se/en/.
