Intervacc progresses vaccine to prevent mastitis in dairy cows caused by Staphylococcus aureus
Stockholm, May 19, 2022 - Intervacc AB (publ) announces the initiation of a proof-of-concept study to measure the effectiveness of a vaccine to protect dairy cows against mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus following successful safety and immunogenicity studies testing this prototype vaccine in pregnant heifers. This next phase of the project will be receiving a grant of 80k Euro from the EU’s VetBioNet initiative.
Mastitis is one of the most important diseases of dairy cattle worldwide. Over 2.6 million cases of disease, causing losses of approximately 600M€, occur in European farms each year. Approximately 25% of contagious mastitis cases are caused by Staphylococcus aureus and the control of mastitis is the most common reason for antibiotic use in dairy cows.
Therefore, the development of safe and effective vaccines against Staphylococcus aureus would improve the health of dairy cows, reduce the use of antibiotics and reduce the impact of this disease on milk production. Vaccines against Staphylococcus aureus may also have wider potential to prevent disease in other animal species.
“Our prototype vaccine uses fusions of several important proteins of Staphylococcus aureus and was safe when administered to pregnant heifers by intramuscular injection on three successive occasions. Vaccinated animals generated antibody responses to the vaccine components that were boosted after the second and third doses.” said Dr. Andrew Waller, Chief Scientific Officer at Intervacc. “These encouraging results form the basis of new research in collaboration with the Moredun Research Institute and the University of Nottingham to measure the protection provided by our prototype vaccine against the clinical signs of mastitis in dairy cows following intramammary challenge with S. aureus.”
Intervacc’s programme to develop a vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus utilises the Matrix-V adjuvant in collaboration with Novavax. Safety and immunogenicity studies were conducted at the Swedish Livestock Research Centre, SLU Lövsta, Uppsala, Sweden and were co-financed by Vinnova. The next phase of the project will be receiving support from the EU’s VetBioNet initiative, which is providing a grant of 80k Euros, representing around 30% of the estimated funding required.
“The progress we are making in our work to develop a vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus is most encouraging”, comments Andreas Andersson, Chief Executive Officer of Intervacc. “Intervacc’s vaccine technology platform induces broad immune responses against complex bacterial pathogens and we are delighted that our prototype vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus is entering this proof-of-concept phase.”
For more information please contact:
Andreas Andersson, CEO
Phone: +46-8-120 10 601, cell +46-73-335 99 70
E-mail: andreas.andersson@intervacc.com
The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above on May 19, 2022, 08.00 CET.
About Intervacc
Intervacc AB is a Swedish company within animal health developing safe, effective vaccines for animals. The Company's vaccine candidates are based on several years of research at Karolinska Institutet and Swedish University of Agricultural Research where the foundation was laid for the Company´s research and development work. The Intervacc share has been listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market since April 2017 with Eminova Fondkommission AB, adviser@eminova.se, +46 (0)8–684 211 10 as Certified Adviser.
Contact information for Certified Adviser
Eminova Fondkommission AB
E-mail: adviser@eminova.se, Phone: +46 (0)8 – 684 211 10
