Vaccine development speeding up at USask
The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is embracing new technology.
Kylee Drever examines Mycobacterium smegmatis in the tuberculosis lab at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre in Saskatoon. Officials at the centre are excited about the potential of reverse vaccinology. (Photo: William DeKay/the Producer)
According to a recent article in the Producer, researchers are touting reverse vaccinology as a promising method for creating vaccines that in the near future will protect livestock from prevalent and chronic diseases.
Differentiating an infected animal from a vaccinated animal has long been a problem and global trade hinges on the safety and biosecurity of a country’s livestock.
The new technology allows researchers to quickly develop new vaccines, as well as tests able to distinguish between vaccinated animals and those infected.
“This is an exciting new approach to vaccine development that essentially, in an unbiased way, tests a number of different vaccine candidates,” said Volker Gerdts, who heads up VIDO-InterVac, in an interview with the Producer.
“It might provide an opportunity to more rapidly develop vaccines for challenging diseases like TB and others.”