May 31, 2016

 

Bayer, Canadian university partner to drive innovation in dairy cattle health

 

Bayer and TransferTech Sherbrooke - the corporate entity responsible for commercialising innovations emerging from the Université de Sherbrooke (Quebec, Canada) and its affiliated institutions - have signed a global license agreement to advance a recently discovered novel vaccine candidate.

 

The vaccine could help protect dairy cattle from mastitis caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.

 

Mastitis is a complex infectious disease and the most common disease on dairy farms worldwide.

 

The disease is present in the vast majority of dairy herds, with 10-15% of all clinical mastitis infections due to S. aureus. Mastitis negatively impacts animal welfare and is associated with milk losses, lower milk quality and productivity, as well as increased veterinary care and labour.

 

"At Bayer, we passionately care for animals, and this partnership further affirms our commitment to dairy cattle health," said Dr. Sabine Bongaerts, Head of Drug Discovery, Animal Health. "For over 90 years, Bayer has been developing scientific innovations that address customer needs and support the health of animals. We are pleased to work with researchers from the Université de Sherbrooke to share knowledge and expertise towards helping veterinarians and dairy farmers fight mastitis."

 

Milk is an important source of nutrition for the global population. The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that up to about 895 million people directly depend, to some extent, on dairy farming.

 

"In North America, it is estimated that the economic losses related to mastitis can reach US$2.4 billion annually, representing about 11% of the total milk production from more than 10 million cows," said Professor Jacques Beauvais, vice-president (Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship) at Université de Sherbrooke. "An effective vaccine that could help protect dairy cattle from S. aureus mastitis would make a welcomed difference to dairy farmers around the world."

 

"We are extremely pleased that Bayer recognises our original scientific approach, which led to a unique vaccine composition with remarkable characteristics," said Professor François Malouin, principal inventor, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke. 

 

As part of the license agreement, Bayer will develop and commercialise the novel vaccine based on the technology and intellectual property from TransferTech Sherbrooke.

 

Further terms of the agreement were not disclosed.