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H2020 Fast Tack to Innovation – University/academic and industrial partners are sought for reduction of economic losses due to mastitis in dairy cattle by a new immunization approach

Country of Origin: Hungary
Reference Number: RDHU20180110001
Publication Date: 11 January 2018

Summary

A Hungarian contract research SME is going to develop a new vaccine evoking non-specific immune response for the prevention of dairy cattle’s mastitis. The vaccine will contain the mixture of killed commensal udder Lactobacillus strains. The company is looking for a university/academic partner with relevant scientific background in Lactobacillus science and industrial partner active on veterinary drug registration and vaccine production. Proposal for H2020-EIC-FTI-2018-2020 are submitted.

Description

It has been proved that Lactobacillus strains are gatekeepers in preventing colonisation of pathogen bacteria in cows and the reconstitution of Lactobacillus flora is therapeutic in mastitis. Based on these observations, the company initiated the development of an intramuscularly administered non-specific immune modulator vaccine which will provide a breakthrough innovation in the prevention and the treatment of mastitis. The suspension of the killed Lactobacillus strains will be screened on Toll-like-receptor expressing transfected cell lines. The strains show the best activity and selectivity will be mixed in order to get a candidate vaccine for veterinary clinical trial.



This immunology approach can either be a standalone, preventive vaccination or additional to conventional (antibiotic) therapies an adds-on solution. The preventive vaccination with this vaccine will tune the immune system of the cattle to fight against pathogenic bugs in a non-bacterium strain specific way. It is a big advantage, because the number of potential pathogen bacteria is broad and may vary even under the progression of the disease and/or the treatment. 



This vaccine will be effective irrespectively of the composition of the pathogenic bacteria strain. The offered vaccine will act both on the non-clinical and clinical mastitis. Moreover, if for any reasons a traditional treatment is needed it can be applied on top of the vaccine treatment schedule. Therefore, a positive synergy is achievable with conventional cure regiments. The final objective of the proposal is to commercialise vaccination against mastitis in dairy cow. 



The Hungarian company, as a coordinator is planning to submit a proposal for H2020 Fast Track to Innovation (H2020-EIC-FTI-2018-2020) call.

 

The company is looking for academic/university group owning cattle udder commensal Lactobacillus strains with solid IP (Intellectual Property) position. The company is also seeking an industrial partner having experience in the processes of veterinary vaccine R&D and preferentially in production, too. 



Deadline for the EOI: 15 May 2018

Deadline for the call: 31 May 2018

Advantages and Innovations

Contrary to bacterium specific vaccines the offered one will evoke non-specific immune response through the stimulation of the immune system of the host. Therefore, it will be active against a broad range of pathogenic bugs responsible for udder inflammation. There is no such approach met the veterinary drug market to date. The vaccine may work in the combination with the traditional antibiotics as adds on therapy. This way of therapy decreases the necessity of the use of antibiotics. Moreover, it also deminishes both the enviromental antibiotics contamination and the development of antibiotics resistant pathogens.

Requested partner

The SME is looking for a university/academic partner that owns cow’s commensal Lactobacillus strains collection and also has relevant scientific background in Lactobacillus science. The SME is also seeking industrial partner active on bacterial vaccine R&D, veterinary drug registration and vaccine production.