Based on an organism’s genetic code, mRNA vaccines can be created quickly and are more easily scaled, unlike conventional vaccines which can take months to produce.
It’s this accelerated development cycle, and the burgeoning threat of an exotic disease outbreak, that prompted Meat & Livestock Australia’s funding of a project to produce and test mRNA vaccines that can be rapidly mass produced in Australia.
Initially, the project will develop a mRNA vaccine pipeline for lumpy skin disease, with the potential for other emergency diseases to be targeted.
MLA animal wellbeing program manager Michael Laurence said the project would enable capacity for rapid mass production of a vaccine for LSD in the event of an outbreak.
“No LSD vaccines are registered for use in Australia yet,” he said.
“While some killed vaccines exist overseas, the path to registration in Australia for traditionally-produced is longer than that of an mRNA vaccine.”
It took just a few months to make the vaccine constructs, which is a very short timeline compared to traditional vaccine development.
“The LSD vaccine construct is now being tested for efficacy in animals,” Mr Laurence said.
“By the end of this year, we will know if this vaccine will work in ruminants.”
If properly harnessed, this technology could be used as one of the effective tools in a rapid response to outbreaks, enabling eradication and return to disease freedom status.
“Live vaccines cannot be imported to Australia. The establishment of the capacity to produce a vaccine for LSD is the priority that will provide the Australian cattle and other ruminant industries with insurance against an imminent biosecurity threat that would have far-reaching trade, animal health and economic implications,” Mr Laurence said.
Predicted high vaccine efficacy provides a realistic pathway to the management and control of an LSD outbreak in Australia.
“Further, the nature of mRNA vaccines enables the development of laboratory tests to distinguish the immune response in vaccinated animals from natural infection,” Mr Laurence said.
“Success of this project might provide a pilot vaccine suitable for use in Australia in less than two years.”
Further investment is also in the pipeline.
The establishment of an mRNA production capability and development of an LSD vaccine will be the initial flagship, stand-alone project within a larger program - Adoption of RNA technology to rapidly produce vaccines for emergency animal disease.
“The larger program unites a network of expertise to bring the advantages of next-generation vaccine technologies to the livestock industries and potentially provide a game-changing solution to enhance biosecurity in Australia,” Mr Laurence said.
“The program includes mRNA vaccine development for the two main strains of foot-and-mouth disease as well as exotic Bovine pestivirus and Border disease in sheep.
“Updates on this project will be provided as it advances.”
The proposed over-arching five-year program will secure licenced mRNA vaccine technology and activate an independent livestock vaccine development and production pathway based on newly established scientific capacity and infrastructure.
This will ultimately result in the stored vaccine constructs produced from this project to respond quickly to incursion of multiple diseases through rapid production of vaccines.