National PRRS Initiative Sponsored Research (NPB)

Projects Funded in Round One (May, 2004)

• University of Minnesota - “Serum Markers of PRRSV Infection” 
• University of Minnesota - “Direct Physical Characterization of the PRRSV Virion” 
• Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, MN - “Sampling of adult boars during early infection using a new serum collection technique for PRRS PCR testing prior to semen collection” 
• Iowa State University - “Development of a Killed Subunit Vaccine” 
• University of Nebraska - Lincoln - “Rational Design of a New Generation of PRRSV Differential (Marker) Vaccines” 
• University of Minnesota - “Implementation of a PRRSV Strain Database” 
• Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), University of Saskatchewan - “Porcine adenovirus 3 based vaccine for porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome (PRRS)” 
• University of Minnesota - “A pilot project to determine the feasibility of controlling PRRS within a selected region”
• Washington State University - "Macrophage cell-lines for in vitro propagation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus"

Projects Funded in Round Two (June, 2004)

• Iowa State University - “Proof-of-Concept - Anti-Idiotype Induces Anti-PRRSV Neutralizing Antibodies in Swine” 
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - “Development of Edible Vaccines against PRRSV: A Proof of Concept Study” 
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln - “Sub-typing of PRRSV isolates by means of measurement of cross-neutralization reactions” 
• South Dakota State University - “A Novel Herpesvirus Vector Approach for PRRSV Vaccines”

Projects Funded in Round Three (September, 2004)

• University of Minnesota - “An assessment of three sanitation protocols for PRRSV-positive transport vehicles”
• University of Missouri - Columbia - “Use of tonsilar crypt exudate to evaluate PRRSV shedding and transmission following a MLV PRRS vaccine or a live PRRS virus inoculation” 
• USDA, ARS, Midwest Area - “A Field-Deployable Fluorescence-Based Sensor Excited"
• South Dakota State University - “Emerging European-like PRRSV in the U.S.: Implications for diagnostic and control strategies”
• Iowa State University - “Investigation of factors impacting the rate of PRRSV transmission in nursery and finisher pig flows and assessment of transmission rate and timing on economic performance”
• University of Minnesota - “Analysis of prevalent winds in areas with suspicious cases of PRRSV’s lateral transmission between pig farms”
• University of Minnesota - "Assessment of Vertical Transmission from Parity One Sows Infected with a Low Dose and Mild Pathogenic PRRSV Isolate"
• University of Minnesota - “Incidence of PRRS transmission during gestation in sow herds chronically infected with PRRS virus”
• Iowa State University - “Modeling PRRS virus aerosol transmission within and between farms”
• Swine Vet Center, P.A. - “Analyzing PRRS status of piglets on multiple farms after serum exposure to validate production of negative piglets”
• USDA, ARS, Midwest Area - “Interaction of PRRSV and porcine dendritic cells: potential role in viral persistence”
• University of Minnesota - “Evaluation of sampling and testing strategies for monitoring of PRRS virus infection in boar studs”
• University of Missouri - Columbia - “PCR-on-a-Chip for the Identification and Control of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus”
• Swine Vet Center, P.A. - “Using Direct Virus Exposure in Conjunction with Modified Herd Closure for a PRRS Eradication”
• Iowa State University - “Dynamic Aerosol Toroid Chambers”
• ATG Laboratories - “Purified PRRS Viral Proteins”
• Biological Mimetics, Inc. - “Developing a Broadly Protective PRRS vaccine”

Projects Funded in 2005

• Purdue University - "The role of downtime in pathogen contamination of swine facilities"

• University of Iowa -"The Comparative T-cell Repertoire Response in PRRSV, SIV and PCV2 Infected Piglets"
• Iowa State University - "Evaluation of a novel anti-idiotype vaccine against PRRS virus infection"
• Iowa State University - "Investigation into the ability of the anti-idiotype to block PRRS virus infection and characterization of a putative receptor on MARC-145 cells and porcine alveolar macrophages"
• Iowa State University - "An improved method for PRRSV surveillance and monitoring"
• University of Maryland - "Development of a New Generation of Antisense Antiviral Drug against PRRSV"

• SDSU - "Accurate ELISA test development: Evaluation of cysteine protease domains of PRRSV non-structural protein 2 as a potential diagnostic target"

• Iowa State University - " Prevention of PRRS by antibody administration"

• University of Nebraska - "Rational Design of a New Generation of PRRSV Differential (Marker) Vaccines"

• University of Minnesota - "Implementation of a PRRSV Strain Database"

• University of Minnesota - " Development of cost-efficient herd testing protocols based on testing of pooled samples using ELISA"

• University of Minnesota - "Mechanisms of failed protection against PRRS in sow herds"

• Rural Technologies, Inc. - "Development and Optimization of a Blocking PRRS ELISA for Type I and Type II Strains of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus"
• University of Iowa - "B cell diversification and class switch in PRRS"
• University of Minnesota - "Elimination of PRRS virus from two regions in Minnesota"
• Ghent University - "Identification of the viral protein that mediates PRRSV attachment to the sialoadhesin receptor on primary macrophages, and determination of the minimal epitope on this protein needed for receptor interaction"
• University of Nebraska - Enhancement of efficacy of PRRSV vaccines by altering the glycosylation pattern of viral glycoproteins.
• University of Illinois - "A study on the feasibility of using a porcine alveolar macrophage cell line to produce a PRRS modified live virus vaccine"
• University of Minnesota - "Physical Characterization of the PRRSV Virion"
• Biological Mimetics, Inc. - "Developing a Broadly Protective vaccine against PRRS"

Projects Funded in 2006

Vaccination

• Protective antigenic determinant vaccines for PRRSV which differentiate infected from vaccinated animals -- Iowa State University 
• Identification of a peptide sequence in nsp2 that can function as a deletion marker for the differentiation of vaccinated from naturally infected pigs -- Kansas State University
• Porcine adenovirus 3 based vaccine for porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome (PRRS)-- University of Saskatchewan
• Development of Edible Vaccines against PRRSV: A Proof of Concept Study (continuation) -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Mechanisms of Failed Protection Against PRRS in Sow Herds -- University of Minnesota 
• Immunogenicity and potency of PRRS MLV vaccines with and without IFN-alpha suppressing capacity -- University of Illinois
• Enhancement of in vitro replication efficiency of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) in MARC-145 cell line -- The University of Hong Kong 
• Development of stable cell lines permissive for PRRSV replication and production --University of Illinois 
• In vivo evaluation of genetic markers in the Nsp2 region of PRRSV: Implications for future recombinant marker vaccine development -- South Dakota State University
• Rational Design of a New Generation of PRRSV Differential (Marker) Vaccines (Renewal Summer 2006) --  University of Nebraska
• Exploring PRRS virus GP5 peptides for protective cross-reactive T cell epitopes -- Kansas State University

Persistent Infection

• Development of protein based ELISA for the rapid strain specific identification of PRRSV and responding to noval emerging variants -- University of Leeds

 Elimination

• Implementation of a PRRSV Strain Database (Renewal) -- University of Minnesota
• Development of a New Generation of Antisense Antiviral Drug against PRRSV-- University of Maryland
• Analysis of prevalent environmental conditions in cases of suspected PRRSV lateral transmission between pig farms -- University of Minnesota
• Development of a simple on-site diagnostic test to detect PRRSV acute infection in boar studs -- University of Minnesota

 Leverage and Discovery

• Global Gene Expression Profiling of PRRSV-Infected Alveolar Macrophages -- USDA/NADC
• PRRSV infection of pig macrophages -- University of South Dakota