US$10 million research project to control animal disease

This research programme of approximately 10 million US dollars was co-financed by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation in collaboration with ImmunoValley and Utrecht University, and represents one of the largest funding ever granted for this type of therapeutic research attesting to the importance to the sector .

 

The collaboration is between among others Pfizer Animal Health, the University of Utrecht and Immuno Valley in the Netherlands.

 

”This is a unique, well orchestrated, outcome focused Public-Private partnership, which brings together a multidisciplinary, high calibre research team to investigate the use of new classes of peptides that have shown to have profound antimicrobial and immunomodulatory effects” said Theo Kanellos, Associate Director of Global Alliances.

 

All partners will closely collaborate to develop innovative anti-infectives based on newly identified small peptides as alternatives to antibiotics for animals. They will contribute to the research programme by sharing knowledge, equipment and financial resources.

 

The overall project represents a new era in the co-funding schemes as the project is very much focused in delivering a platform of new class anti-infective products for livestock that will exhibit antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties.

 

It fits into the ‘One Health’ focus of Immuno Valley, which aims at closer collaboration between academia and industry to control infectious diseases of animal and man.