Project Title: Development of Edible Vaccines against PRRSV: A Proof of Concept Study

Institution: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Iowa State University

Outcome/Results: A portion of the PRRS virus was expressed in corn. Further studies are being conducted to determine the potential for this technology to be used to produce and administer a protective PRRS vaccine.

Summary: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is the most devastating swine disease. This project strives to develop new and safer vaccine for the elimination of PRRSV from swine herds. Previous studies have shown the GP5 and M protein on the virus surface stimulate an immune response and are good candidates for developing subunit protein vaccines. Corn is the major feedstock for pigs, and it is an ideal host for vaccine development. For the reported period, we have demonstrated that recombinant GP5 can be successfully expressed in transgenic corn callus. The overall goal of this project is to develop transgenic corns expressing PRRSV immunogens as edible vaccines to help eliminate the PRRS virus from swine herds. The success of this project will have a significant impact in our fight against this devastating virus. This is a multi-year project. If it is successful, not only will new and safer vaccines be produced, but the vaccines will be much cheaper and extremely suitable for mass immunization.