VAX4ASF

Challenge

African swine fever (ASF) has a devastating impact in pigs farming. Beyond the high mortality rates, as soon as an infected animal is detected all the other animals must be sacrificed. According to the WOAH, between January 2020 and January 2022, ASF outbreaks affected 35 countries, resulting in the loss of approximately 1 million domestic pigs and nearly 30,000 wild boars. Despite huge international efforts to produce a vaccine against ASF virus, only control and eradication measures are so far available.

Solution

Live Attenuated Vaccines (LAVs) have been the ultimate trend in ASF vaccine development, where most efforts have been focused by manipulating genes involved in virulence. Controlling the replication level for next generation vaccines, as proposed in VAX4ASF, will be crucial to change the actual paradigm of vaccine development and management of ASF virus, by generating fully protective, safe, and efficient vaccines. The control of the virus will be also supported by the generation of specific DIVA tests.

Impacts

VAX4ASF will work towards a novel vaccine prototype capable of providing effective and long-lasting protection against ASFV while maintaining a safe profile, with pigs (domestic and wild boars) being the target species. Thus, VAX4ASF will have a profound effect in animal health and worldwide economy and could moreover have a significant impact in society considering the erratic evolution of the virus as well as the lack of effective prevention and controlling measures.