Award details

BBSRC-funded studentship: A reverse genetics approach to study the role of non-neutralising epitopes in FMD vaccine induced protection

Reference	BBS/E/I/00001406
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor David Paton
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr Madhuchhanda Mahapatra
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	30,322
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	05/01/2009
End date	04/01/2013
Duration	48 months

Abstract

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease affecting cloven-hoofed livestock. The causative agent of FMD is a small non-enveloped virus with a positive-sense RNA genome. The mutation rate of the virus is very high leading to existence of seven distinct serotypes of FMDV and multiple subtypes indicating significant genetic variability. Though vaccination is an important means to control FMD, immunization with one vaccine strain does not confer protection against the other serotypes and sometimes even between subtypes. Moreover, the molecular basis for vaccine induced protection and the breadth of antigenic cover provided by individual vaccines is poorly understood. Following vaccination both neutralising and non-neutralising antibodies are induced, however their relative importance in protection is not known. Studies carried out in the last two decades have mainly focused on the neutralizing antibodies which are considered as an important component in vaccinal protection. However studies using multiple Mab escape mutants have suggested the non-neutralising antibodies playing a very significant role in FMD vaccine induced protection. The identification of these epitopes and establishment of their significance in antibody mediated protection against FMD will contribute to development of effective strategies in designing better vaccines and in particular ones with a broader spectrum of cross-protection. The main aim of this studentship is to identify the genetic component of FMDV which plays a significant role in antigenic variability among different FMD viruses and to study their (non-neutralising epitopes) contribution in FMD vaccine-induced protection.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Animal Health, Immunology, Microbiology
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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