May 23, 2023

Medgene awarded grant funding by USDA to study Asian Longhorned Tick and develop vaccines

The USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has granted funding to animal health company Medgene for a research project focused on studying the Asian longhorned tick and its potential to spread diseases among livestock, Yahoo! Finance reported.

Medgene plans to utilise its proprietary platform technology to develop and test vaccine approaches aimed at preventing the transmission of tickborne diseases.

Dr Alan Young, Chief Technology Officer for Medgene, brings extensive expertise in studying parasite-borne diseases, particularly their impact on whitetail deer, dating back to 2013.

Dr Young expressed his appreciation for the USDA-NIFA partnership, highlighting the agency's commitment to addressing animal health concerns in the US. He said there is a significant role that animal parasites and insects play as disease vectors affecting both wild animals and livestock.

Medgene's vaccine development approaches rely on a USDA-approved "platform technology" that allows for safe and adaptable targeting of multiple animal disease types. This innovative approach enables the rapid development of vaccines and provides insights into disease dynamics within species and geographic regions, surpassing the time requirements of traditional vaccine development methods.

Having received the award notice from USDA-NIFA in April, Medgene is set to commence field research during the summer. The eight-month study will be conducted in collaboration with an independently-operated research facility and supported by a team of renowned international experts specializing in tickborne diseases.

The findings from this research will be incorporated into Medgene's existing portfolio of platform technology-based vaccines. The company aims to apply these research outcomes to combat other tickborne diseases, including Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

-      Yahoo! Finance