Anivax licences vaccine to tackle Campylobacter
It is designed to be used on poultry to reduce colonization by the bacteria and ultimately lowe the incidence of human disease and associated conditions.
Anivax has signed licenses with University of Arizona and Arizona State University, with each covering multiple pieces of intellectual property (IP).
ASU provided the IP for the delivery mechanism – known as the “vector” – for the Campylobacter antigens. The antigens were discovered at the University of Arizona, so required a separate license.
Bibiana Law, associate research professor in the UA School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences said they will use the platform to deliver the C. jejuni antigens.
“Preliminary trials have demonstrated a Campylobacter reduction in poultry of up to 4 logs with various constructs of the vaccine,” said Law, who is also Anivax’s chief science officer.
Campylobacter jejuni infection causes an estimated 1.3 million human health related cases costing over $1bn in healthcare costs each year.
Alexandra Armstrong, assistant research scientist in the UA School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, food safety consortium chair and Anivax’s VP of Research, said: “Successful vaccination of chickens would potentially lead to compliance with the new USDA performance standards for Campylobacter in chickens, resulting in significant reduction of human illnesses.”
