Consortium Members
SPIDVAC joins leading animal health laboratories in Europe with established records of accomplishment working on the epidemiology, structure, modelling, vaccinology, diagnostic systems, vector biology, pathogenesis, transmission and control of AHS, FMD and PPR, with institutions in two countries (Senegal and South Africa) that have a long experience with outbreaks of these diseases. The University of Pretoria is one of only very few laboratories in the world with extensive experience of experimental infection of equines with AHSV and the evaluation of vaccines against it. Overall, SPIDVAC includes 11 public and 2 private partners with a wealth of expertise in the areas critical for this call. Several partners are reference entities in their fields and have been involved in the fight against TAD at an international scale for many decades. In particular, the EU Reference Laboratories (RL) for the three priority diseases targeted in the project are represented in the consortium. LCV (associated partner) is the EU RL for AHS, CIRAD is an OIE, FAO and EU RL for PPR and ANSES is an OIE, FAO and EU RL for FMD and the EU RL for equine diseases. The reference activities of the EU RLs in synergy with the technological expertise of the other public and private partners will allow for the accurate definition of needs, the practical design of new tools and their rapid implementation in the field and in the laboratory.
SPIDVAC also includes two private companies (BI and IDvet) which are leaders in veterinary vaccines and diagnostic tools and will ensure that the research activities in the project remain focused on the end goal of market-ready products. In addition to the decades-long experience of BI with the development and production of veterinary vaccines, including MPSP vaccines and the extensive FMD portfolio of Merial, other consortium partners have well-established track records in this field. The first vaccine for PPR was developed by CIRAD in the 1980s and continuously improved under previous EU-funded projects such as ICA-CT-2000-30027, TSD-A-091 and INCO-CT-2004-003670.
Many of the consortium partners have established scientific links and a long history of successful collaboration. The highly successful EU Network of Excellence EPIZONE was coordinated by WBVR, and some of its most active members included the SPIDVAC partners FLI, ANSES, CIRAD and CISA-INIA/CSIC. The strong network created by EPIZONE still endures and has led to many other collaborations and joint projects. The introduction of new partners will expand and intensify this existing network, helping to foster the exchange of data, ideas and technology between different disciplines and organizations, helping to find effective solutions to real disease problems.
All necessary expertise and resources to carry out the project successfully are represented in the consortium:
FLI
The Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, the German Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, operates high-containment laboratory and animal facilities licensed to handle animal pathogens and GMOs up to risk group 4, including AHSV, PPRV and FMDV. FLI is the German national reference laboratory (NRL) for all notifiable animal diseases. Previous work at FLI includes the development and validation of an MPSP vaccine, chimeric vaccines, packaged RNA replicon vaccines, virulence assessments of leaderless FMDV as well as the creation and targeted modification of FMDV infectious clones.
ANSES
The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety will participate with its Joint Research Unit of Virology on the Maisons-Alfort campus near Paris. In addition to the aforementioned EU and OIE RLs, ANSES is an OIE RL for epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EHD) and the French NRL for AHS, BT, FMD and EHD. ANSES operates high containment laboratory and animal facilities (BSL/ABSL3) with capacity for animal experiments on equids and a high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic cluster.
CIRAD
The French Agricultural Research and International Cooperation Organization is one of the leading internationally recognised organizations carrying out research in agronomy for developing countries. CIRAD is strongly involved in research and development for the control of infectious diseases of cattle, small ruminants, swine and poultry. In addition to the aforementioned EU and OIE RLs, CIRAD is an OIE RL for rinderpest (RP), the OIE Collaborative Centre for diagnosis, epidemiology and control of tropical animal diseases and the FAO RL for PPR, RP, contagious bovine and caprine pleuropneumonia, trypanosomiasis and cowdriosis. CIRAD is also the French NRL for poxviruses, PPR, RP and Rift Valley fever. CIRAD has laboratory and animal facilities (BSL/ABSL2, BSL3+ for exotic pathogens) for research and diagnosis. CIRAD has very good expertise and long experience with reverse genetics of paramyxoviruses including PPRV and Newcastle disease virus and has already produced several recombinant strains of both viruses.
CIC bioGUNE
The Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences is Basque’s largest non-profit biomedical research organization. Its mission is to conduct research of excellence in life sciences, including technology transfer and commercial exploitation of the generated scientific results, the development of high-level science, including fundamental and industrial research, experimental development, high-quality training, institutional cooperation, internationalization and dissemination. CIC bioGUNE is committed to apply its scientific leadership in two main areas of research, molecular recognition and host-pathogen interactions as well as metabolism and cell signalling in disease. To support the research, CIC bioGUNE made a large investment in state-of-the-art research infrastructure for genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, NMR, cryo-EM, X-ray, AAALAC-approved animal facilities and BSL2 laboratories for virus production and imaging. In addition, CIC bioGUNE has contributed to the creation of the Basque Resource for Electron Microscopy. CIC bioGUNE operates its own computer cluster and has access to different supercomputing centres in Spain.
Innovative Diagnostics
ID, also known as IDvet, is an SME established in 2004 and located in Montpellier, France. IDvet develops, manufactures and sells diagnostic reagents (serology and PCR) for the detection of infectious diseases for farm animals and for zoonotic diseases with an emerging aspect. The company is offering a wide portfolio of ELISAs and qPCR kits for 60 different diseases. IDvet has a worldwide distribution network and its products are sold in over 110 countries worldwide. The company has strong scientific expertise in the development, the scale-up and transfer to production of diagnostic kits, and has been participating in many EU-funded collaborative programmes: FLUAid, ParaTBtools, BTVAC (all FP6), Orbivac, EDENext (both FP7) and DEFEND (H2020). IDvet works closely with many international and national RLs.
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health
BI recognizes that the lives of animals and humans are interconnected in deep and complex ways. They know that when animals are healthy, humans are healthier too. Across the globe, its 9700 employees are dedicated to delivering value through innovation, thus enhancing the well-being of both. Respect for animals, humans and the environment is at the heart of what BI does. They develop solutions and provide services to protect animals from disease and pain, support their customers in taking care of the health of their animals and protect their communities against life- and society-threatening diseases. BI is the second largest animal health business in the world, with net sales of €4.1 billion in 2020 and a presence in more than 150 countries.
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Science (SVMS) is located on the Sutton Bonington campus with the School of Biosciences. It is ranked as one of the top veterinary research facilities in the UK. Facilities on the campus include recently refurbished high containment (BSL3) laboratories and a large animal facility also recently refurbished to allow equine studies in BSL2 containment. There are also extensive greenhouse and plant growing room facilities on the campus. The research laboratories in SVMS were purpose built 15 years ago and benefit from a pool of experienced core-funded research technicians who contribute to ongoing research projects on a pro-rata basis. During 2021/22, refurbishment of a building will provide a suite of laboratories and offices adjacent to the BSL3 suite to house the “One Virology” group, which is an SVMS Research Priority Area.
CISA-INIA
The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is the largest public institution in Spain dedicated to research. Within CSIC, CISA-INIA is a centre for research and surveillance in the prevention, diagnosis and control of transmissible animal diseases. It is particularly focused on emerging, re-emerging and transboundary diseases of livestock causing economical and sanitary impact, including zoonoses, that may cause restrictions in trade and a serious effect on public health and food security. Its primary mission is to promote advanced research, technology development, cooperation with national and international bodies and technology transfer in the area of animal health. The BSL3 animal facilities constitute an essential part of CISA-INIA. They are fully equipped to perform in vivo experiments involving exotic and emerging pathogens, including airborne ones, and are fully compliant with biosafety and animal welfare regulations. Due to the uniqueness of this facility, CISA-INIA is one of the main reference centres in Spain for in vivo experimentation with high-risk biological agents.
WBVR
Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, as part of the Animal Science Group of Wageningen University Research, is the Dutch national reference institute for all notifiable animal diseases. WBVR is specialized in contingency planning, large-scale monitoring, in particular during outbreaks of classical swine fever, FMD, Q fever, BT and COVID-19. Except for human BSL4, WBVR has access to all levels of high containment facilities up to veterinary BSL4 with facilities for large and small animals, including horses. WBVR is one of the most renowned institutions in animal health and veterinary research worldwide, and its Virology Department is well known in the field of vaccines and diagnostics for animal diseases. The DIVA and DISA principles are inventions of the Virology Department of WBVR.
The University of Pretoria
The Equine Research Centre (ERC) of the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Veterinary Science will participate in studies related to AHS. The ERC has facilities for vector-protected housing of equids and has access to containment facilities approved by the South African Department of Agriculture for AHSV propagation, biotechnology and immunology and animal facilities with the capacity for experiments on equids.
The University of Surrey
The School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey is an integral part of the Faculty of Health and Medical Science in Guildford. Facilities include BSL3 laboratories as well as core units for genomics, imaging and flow cytometry. The microbiology teams of the vet school and the School of Bioscience and Medicine cooperate successfully under the “One Health” umbrella. UoS has strategic partnerships with the geographically close Animal and Plant Health Agency and The Pirbright Institute, which together form the NRLs for notifiable infectious animal diseases and are part of the Animal Health Innovation Network in the UK.
ISRA
The Laboratoire National d’Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires (LNERV) is part of the Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles depending on the Ministry of Agriculture in Senegal. It is a public institution with two main missions: (i) to conduct research in the area of animal health and animal production to improve animal productivity, (ii) to provide animal disease diagnosis services for the better management of animal health. The Virology Unit has a very long scientific history on PPR and RP, starting as early as the 1950s. The institute has a good level of infrastructure with up-to-date laboratory equipment and facilities for animal experimentation. It can rely on experienced and qualified personnel, adequate budgetary allocation, and research and training opportunities. It currently gathers researchers having the potential to handle diagnosis and research activities and to integrate, at the national level, capabilities to implement new technologies. An additional value of LNERV is its status of a West Africa regional veterinary RL in the laboratory network RESOLAB.
MAPA (Associated Partner)
The Central Veterinary Laboratory (LCV) located in Algete, Madrid, and attached to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fish and Food, is dedicated to animal production and health. It was designated as an NRL in Spain for several animal diseases. LCV has a long experience in diagnostic activities and coordinating an official laboratory network, including proficiency test organization. At the international level, after leading diagnostic activities for AHS eradication in Spain, LCV was designated EU RL for AHS in 1992, and one year later, RL for AHS by the OIE. In addition, after Brexit, LCV has taken over the tasks and responsibilities of EU RL for BT. In order to carry out these activities, it has two laboratory buildings, which include BSL2 and BSL3 rooms, and two animal buildings at ABSL2. LCV does not request any funding for its activities in the project and is therefore included in the consortium as an associated partner.