Genvax Technologies, an Animal Vaccine Company in Ames, IA, is Developing New Solutions to Combat Current and Emerging Infectious Diseases in Livestock

December 17, 2024 – Ames, IA – Animal diseases have recently gained significant attention due to the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which has decimated poultry production and shown the ability to infect swine, dairy cattle, and humans. Although this has renewed a dialogue on animal disease, infections such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), swine influenza (SIV), African Swine Fever (ASF) and porcine circovirus (PCV) have long plagued the industry, posing health challenges and causing severe economic harm to farmers and consumers. Fortunately, companies like Genvax Technologies, headquartered in Ames, are taking on the challenge of combatting some of the greatest threats to animal agriculture and food security.

Iowa is the nation’s top pork-producing state, generating $10.9 billion in cash receipts in 2022. However, this value would have been even higher if not for the ongoing impact of infectious disease pressure. For example, PRRS is the most economically significant disease to affect US swine production since the eradication of classical swine fever (CSF). According to a study conducted at Iowa State University, PRRS cost an estimated $1.2 billion per year in lost production in the U.S. pork industry from 2016 to 2020, an 80% increase in the last ten years. Controlling the disease is a continuous challenge in part because the RNA virus that causes PRRS evolves frequently, and current vaccines and solutions such as increased biosecurity, continuous monitoring and testing, and other tools to mitigate the disease only prevent disease to a certain extent.

Since its inception in 2021, Genvax Technologies has had a team of experienced scientists working to develop novel vaccines and technology solutions for the prevention and treatment of animal diseases. Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Lucas Huntimer, hired in 2024, is excited and optimistic about the company’s efforts to develop a targeted vaccine approach and prescription platform vaccines utilizing saRNAvaccine technology. This is a significant advancement over current vaccines on the market.

“Currently available vaccine solutions often utilize modified live versions of a virus which can sometimes recombine with wild type pathogenic strains of virus and lead to continual genetic drift of the virus,” says Huntimer. “Our prescription platform vaccine involves a manufacturing process that relies on a foundation of a self-amplifying (saRNA) vector and a process for inserting genes of interest to produce a vaccine  that enables immunity against a disease in a customized way without the risk of recombination due to the saRNA construct.” 

Huntimer explains the uniqueness of their technology in an example of an outbreak of disease in a herd of pigs where a veterinarian can take diagnostic samples from a pig and identify the pathogen’s genetic sequence which provides the information helpful to make a vaccine. This can then be deployed into the herd within a matter of weeks, exponentially faster than traditional vaccines. The testing methodology includes taking a diagnostic sample at a farm, and sending it to the Iowa State University veterinary diagnostic laboratory where whole genome sequencing is completed upon veterinarian or producer request, which reveals the complete DNA make-up of an organism. This is done relatively quickly and more cost effectively compared to a decade ago. Huntimer adds that the whole genome sequencing allows producers to get a full genetic sequence of the virus. This in turn allows Genvax to take an inactive fragment of the virus and place it back in their technology to create a herd-specific, targeted vaccine in just weeks.

Regulatory approvals for traditional animal vaccines can take anywhere between five to ten years, which includes translating an idea to market approval for a vaccine. A prescription platform vaccine is one example of a recent regulatory advancement from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This innovative approach allows companies, like Genvax, to go through initial approvals of the platform and deploy prescription vaccines to help producers combat problematic pathogens. Genvax’s targeted platform vaccine technology will have the ability to respond quickly to a new emerging Influenza or PRRS strain during an outbreak and get producers back to regular operations faster and more profitably. In addition, this platform can further be leveraged to respond to foreign animal disease pressures like ASF, which has not infected pigs in the United States but remains a very critical disease pressure in Europe and Asia with few tools to aid in prevention beyond heightened biosecurity practices.

“What excites me about the future of Genvax is that we are going to have a product on the marketplace relatively soon and will be able to provide herd-focused tools to the producer,” Huntimer says.

This approach will advance livestock production practices into a new generation of animal management.  The company is excited to continue to work in collaboration with public institutions and industry to tackle problems in farm disease management with vaccines and technologies of the future.

Written by Pradeepa Sukumaran, Program Assistant II