Projects

2018/2022 – Development of an experimental vaccine against neosporosis in cattle – NEOVAC PTDC/CVT-CVT/31020/2017. Funding: FEDER – Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020 – Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior. The main objective of this project is the development of a mucosal vaccine against bovine neosporosis

The protozoan Neospora caninum is a leading cause of abortions in cattle with an estimated global economic burden exceeding one billion dollars per year. In cattle, N. caninum may be transmitted vertically from pregnant cows to their fetuses or horizontally through ingestion of oocysts contaminating food or water. Oral transmission to pregnant cows was deemed responsible for storm-like epidemic abortions. The main objective of this proposal is the development of a mucosal vaccine against bovine neosporosis. Preventing neosporosis by specifically boosting immunity in the gastrointestinal mucosa is an innovative approach that will counteract parasite entry into non\u0002infected hosts, therefore reducing neosporosis prevalence and overall transmission rates. To achieve this goal, the ensuing plan will be followed: 1) an immunogenic preparation targeting N. caninum antigens will be assessed and refined using the murine and bovine models. Optimization will explore combining administration routes, as well as using adjuvants that potentiate local immunity in mucosae; 2) the immune mechanisms responsible for protection will be identified and
functionally assessed; 3) the antigens targeted by the immunization will be identified using immunoproteomics; 4) the optimized experimental vaccine will be evaluated in experimentally infected cattle and immune mechanisms elicited by immunization will be studied in the vaccinated and infected animals. The assembled research team covers the expertise necessary to successfully carry out the project tasks. It includes basic and clinic researchers with solid background in neosporosis, with demonstrated skills in veterinary immunology and parasitology and veterinary clinics specifically concerning the bovine host. The partner institutions, IBMC, ICBAS and INIAV, will provide complementary resources (facilities and technology) necessary to accomplish the research plan. The three institutions will synergistically operate, as the different proposed tasks require transdisciplinary approaches. Obtaining a neosporosis vaccine will have a major impact in cattle production systems and is recognized as the most cost effective approach to manage this disease. Completion of this project will contribute to this need.

Team

Alexandra Correia (PI)
Assistant Researcher, i3S
alexandra.correia@ibmc.up.pt

Manuel Vilanova (Co-PI)
Immunobiology Group Leader, i3S
Associate Professor, ICBAS
vilanova@icbas.up.pt

António Rocha (Steering Committee)
Full Professor, ICBAS

Carla Mendonça
Assistant Professor, ICBAS

Margarida Araújo
Assistant Professor, ICBAS

Luzia Teixeira
Researcher, ICBAS

Margarida Borges
Assistant Professor, FFUP

Jorge Pimenta
INIAV

Olga Moreira
INIAV

Elena Pérez-Antón
Junior Researcher, i3S

Anna Clara Ferreira
MSc Student, i3S

Mariana Sousa
Trainee, i3S
Former members
Rui Appelberg
Mariana Resende
Margarida Lobo-Silva
José Guimarães
Joana Matinha da Rocha
Ricardo Fróis-Martins
Inês Vasconcelos
Pedro Alves
Collaborators
João Pedro Barbas
António Sequeira