Disease X and … Pig Ebola

African Swine Fever is as bad for pigs as Ebola is for humans. It’s good to have a plan (becoming a vegetarian is a pretty good one in this case). Why? Because the US pork industry plans to deal with African Swine Fever by culling massive numbers of pigs (details here). Although not yet present in the US, ASF is already present in India, Vietnam, China, and the Dominican Republic. This week, there was some really bad news for pigs. A ‘promising’ vaccine developed at Plum Island (a live attenuated vaccine) failed to protect pigs in Vietnam. Yes, we’re working on a T cell epitope-driven ASF vaccine (funding needed!) because, we predict that the next pandemic will be ASF in the USA. And humans will be impacted too. The US produces more than $23.4 billion of pork per year, and 26% of those pork products are exported to other countries.

Monkeypox, Ebola, and Disease X! Speaking of which, WHO is preparing for the next pandemic, with an open discussion on Pathogen X. It’s impossible to know what that pathogen will be, but more likely than not, it will be of animal origin. Today, Mike Levine talked about human challenge models as one means of understanding the efficacy of vaccines and treatments. Clearly, culling is not an option for humans, even though it seems to be the current plan for pigs. (yes, I am DEFINITELY saying that to make us all pause to think about the moral implications of culling to address ASF in the US). Follow this link to see the livestream on Pathogen X and get the slides when they are available.

While I have your attention, let’s talk about Vaccines on Demand! Computational Vaccinology is ready to speed the development of vaccines for “Disease X” should we need them. Don’t miss the demonstration of our advanced iVAX toolkit at the ISV Annual Congress! If you’re a vaccine developer interested in learning how to use the toolkit, make sure to reserve a spot at our Computational Vaccinology Workshop on Saturday, September 17^th (w/ lunch!) (Email us for info).

Where in the World are Katie and Annie, Fall 2022? 

Katie Porter and I are  getting on a plane next week to start the Fearless Science World Tour in Japan! (and looking forward to it!). Honestly, we can’t wait to see you in person, finally!

We’ll begin at the Westin Immunogenicity Seminar in Tokyo on Friday, September 9^th, 2022. This free event, geared to address immunogenicity and tolerance problems faced by biologics and vaccines developers, will feature academic and industry rockstars such as Dr. Masanori Isogawa of NIID, Dr. Susumu Uchiyama of Osaka University, and Dr. Hiroaki Suga of the University of Tokyo! Did we mention that there’s a networking cocktail hour? What are you waiting for? Register here!

Time for T E A ! (Trusted, Expert Advice)

EpiVax has regulatory expertise that is available to you! We are in the 25th year of providing immunogenicity risk assessment advice to the world. You trust us with your sequences, and we deliver our insights and expertise. Now, we have a new TEA consulting service! We are pleased to provide access to Subject Matter Experts within EpiVax on a consulting basis. Beginning in September, please book time with Amy Rosenberg, MD (formerly at the FDA), who can provide you with consulting support for regulatory filings related to the FDA’s immunogenicity guidance. Time for TEA!

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