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Internships

The Pirbright Institute has the following 11 month undergraduate internships available, commencing September 2024. Applications are welcome from students who are currently studying a relevant undergraduate science degree with optional professional training year (this will usually be between the second and third year of the degree). The salary for our 2024 internships will be approximately £22,400.  Students must have the unrestricted right to work in the UK.

How to Apply:  To apply for an internship, please complete an Internship Application Form and email to studentship@pirbright.ac.uk.  Ensure you include the reference number and title of the project you are applying for.  Closing date to apply: 25.03.24 (midnight).

Reference No. Project  Project details
2024/09

A bivalent vaccine to reduce the risk of Nipah virus outbreaks.

Research Group: Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) Immunology

Professor Simon Graham

 

Pig-to-human transmission was responsible for the most severe Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak, which was controlled by culling almost half the Malaysian pig population. Despite the threat NiV poses, no vaccines are available. Commercial development of NiV vaccines is limited since companies fear limited marketability due to the sporadic nature of outbreaks. To address this gap, we are developing a bivalent vaccine for pigs.

Live attenuated pseudorabies virus (PrV) vaccines are highly effective vaccines that can be engineered to express antigens from other pathogens. We constructed a PrV vaccine that produced both the NiV F and G glycoproteins in a soluble form. The NiV-neutralising antibody response stimulated by prime-boost vaccination was comparable to those seen with protective vaccine candidates. The inclusion of the NiV proteins into the PrV vaccine did not hinder PrV-specific immune responses. Overall, the data suggested that the bivalent PrV-NiV vaccine candidate would likely provide protection against both viruses. However, the immune responses suggest that two doses may be require.

We now aim to improve the vaccine so that it may provide protection after a single immunisation. We shall do this by engineering the NiV glycoproteins so that they are expressed on the surface of cells, which should enhance antibody responses. We will compare the new and original vaccine to determine whether we have improved immunogenicity. The best candidate will then be tested for its ability to protect pigs against both PrV and NiV. Current PrV vaccines need to be kept refrigerated, which can be challenging in the tropical region at risk from NiV. Therefore, we will evaluate stabilising the vaccine by fine coating it with silica. Since NiV infection restricts the ability of countries to trade pigs or pig products, it is essential that any NiV vaccine has a companion test that enable the discrimination of infected from vaccinated pigs. We have established a lab-based assay that allows such discrimination and will translate this to a rapid ‘penside’ test. Further details...
     

 

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