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Flightless female mosquitoes generated at Pirbright could aid disease control

Posted: 3 December, 2020

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have created flightless mosquitoes by editing a specific gene that is required for females to fly. This could provide a more controlled and targeted way of reducing mosquito populations (females bite to obtain a blood meal and thereby spread disease; males do not bite) in select areas where mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika and dengue are rife.

Pirbright Annual Report showcases investment in innovation

Posted: 20 November, 2020

The Pirbright Institute’s Annual Report 2019-2020 showcases a year of scientific progress in the world of viral diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown into sharp focus the importance of the research that Pirbright carries out on the border between animal and human disease, and in pushing forward One Health Agenda research.

Pirbright pig studies indicate human antibody could provide protection from flu

Posted: 2 July, 2020

Studies undertaken at The Pirbright Institute in collaboration with Inovio Pharmaceuticals have shown that a human antibody (2-12C) can provide pigs protection against the 2009 H1N1 pandemic strain of human influenza. This finding indicates that the antibody could also be effective at treating human influenza infections and demonstrates that the pig is an excellent model for assessing antibody therapies.

SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to enter animal cells

Posted: 19 June, 2020

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have shown that severe acute respiratory syndrome  coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is able to enter cells using the receptors of multiple mammalian species. The broad host range of SARS-CoV-2 confirms the potential risk of infection to a wide range of companion animals, livestock and wildlife.

Pirbright African swine fever vaccine protects 100% of pigs from developing severe disease

Posted: 21 May, 2020

Scientists from The Pirbright Institute are a step closer to developing a vital vaccine for African swine fever (ASF), a pig disease that the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has warned could kill a quarter of the world’s pigs, partly due to the absence of a commercially available vaccine. Their study, published in Vaccines showed that 100 percent of pigs immunised with the new vaccine were protected from a lethal dose of ASF virus (ASFV).

Pirbright confirms African horse sickness in Thailand

Posted: 14 April, 2020

Scientists in the Non-Vesicular Reference Laboratory (NVRL) at The Pirbright Institute have confirmed an outbreak of African horse sickness (AHS) in Thailand. AHS is the most lethal viral disease of horses known and the rapid diagnostic services provided by Pirbright has enabled authorities to respond quickly to the outbreak, the first that south-east Asia has ever experienced.

Pirbright and UCL scientists map African swine fever genome

Posted: 20 February, 2020

Scientists from The Pirbright Institute have worked with UCL to map the expression of genes across the entire African swine fever virus (ASFV) genome, which has helped to establish their order of activation as well as uncovering new genes. The research could provide vital information for those developing vaccines and antiviral drugs to prevent the deadly pig disease caused by this virus.

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