Project Number: 1940-32000-057-06
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jul 01, 2009
End Date: Jun 30, 2014

Objective:
To improve Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) vaccine potency and duration of immunity, we will study the cellular immune response to infection and the ability to refine the killed virus vaccine for FMDV or the recombinant empty capsid vaccine. The objective of this agreement is to analyze T cell responses to FMDV infection in swine and cattle.

Approach:
The state of the art for analysis of the cellular immune response of T lymphocytes to vaccination is: identification of T cell epitopes, mapping of those epitopes to the presenting transplantation antigens known as histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and developing MHC tetramers for tracking T cell responses. This technology is used extensively in laboratory mice but is expensive in a genetically diverse human population. Even given the expense, the technology is being applied in the clinic more and more often. Our preliminary studies indicate common cattle breeds, such as Holstein, can be analyzed using this technology. The University of Copenhagen will generate the information required to design and test MHC tetramers for analysis of cellular immune reponse to Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus(FMDV). ARS, PIADC will utilize this information to analyze responses of cattle and swine to vaccination and FMDV infection.