A Safer, Better Vaccine Another important FMD development from PIADC is the world’s first effective molecular-based FMD vaccine for cattle, developed by chemist Marvin Grubman and colleagues. The vaccine can be produced without using infectious FMD materials, which means it can be produced safely, in the United States, without expensive, high-containment facilities. Another benefit is that animals vaccinated with Grubman’s vaccine don’t produce all the antibodies that infected animals produce. Because of this, they can easily be distinguished. Most existing vaccines cause animals to produce the same antibodies as infected animals, making it difficult to determine whether an animal with antibodies was naturally infected or vaccinated. ARS—in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Targeted Advanced Development unit and GenVec, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company based in Gaithersburg, Maryland—is developing this technology for potential commercialization. Tests have shown that the vaccine becomes effective a mere 7 days after it’s been administered. Although this is one of the fastest vaccines available, Grubman and his colleagues wanted faster protection. After all, a lot can happen in 7 days, particularly during an outbreak. In a recent study, Grubman found that interferons—proteins produced by the immune system—can offer protection during that first week. Interferons are so named because they interfere with virus replication. Grubman and his colleagues introduced type I and type II interferon genes into an adenovirus, which they administered to groups of pigs. One day later, they infected the swine with FMD virus. The interferons blocked FMD virus replication, offering the swine protection. “The interferon gives early protection for 3 to 5 days while the animals are developing an antibody response to the vaccine,” Grubman says. “This significantly increases their chances of resisting FMD.” ARS and GenVec are now collaborating to combine the interferons and the FMD vaccine so they can be administered together
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