Guwahati: In a groundbreaking development, the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has successfully transferred pioneering vaccine technology to BioMed Pvt. Ltd. This technology marks a milestone in India’s vaccine landscape, offering a solution to combat the classical swine fever virus in pigs and wild boars.
The first-of-its-kind recombinant vector vaccine for pigs, developed through a reverse genetic platform at IIT Guwahati, promises to address the severe threat posed by swine fever. Although not transmissible to humans, swine fever has a high mortality rate among pigs and has been a persistent challenge in India, particularly in northeastern states and regions like Bihar, Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat.
Initiated in 2018-2019 through collaborative efforts between researchers from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering at IIT Guwahati and Assam Agricultural University, the vaccine development has culminated in significant research findings published in journals such as Process Biochemistry and Archives of Virology.
Speaking on the achievement, a statement from IIT Guwahati highlighted the potential of reverse genetics as a potent tool for vaccine development against both animal and human diseases. The innovative approach employed in this vaccine utilises the Newcastle disease virus (NDV), traditionally known for its pathogenicity in chickens, as a carrier for essential proteins of the classical swine fever virus. This method expedites immunity development and is characterized by its efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Currently undergoing the process of filing test and analysis licenses, the vaccine technology transfer signifies a crucial step in curbing the spread of swine fever across breeding farms in India. The absence of a vaccine thus far has left the pig industry vulnerable to the disease’s devastating impact.
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Researchers involved in the project emphasised the importance of this advancement in safeguarding India’s pig industry, particularly in the northeast, where cases of swine fever have been rampant in recent years.
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