NEIKER’s line of research on mycobacterial vaccines wins the II International Zendal Award

An original work on paratuberculosis and tuberculosis in animals by NEIKER, and an investigation on a possible vaccine against SARS-COV-2 by the Ciqus group, have been the winning projects of the II International Zendal awards in the category of animal and human health, respectively.

Two advances in vaccines
The winning project in the category of animal health has been awarded to the mycobacteria group project of the NEIKER Department of Animal Health on the main diseases caused by the genus Mycobacterium. This research has shown that inactivated vaccines can protect against tuberculosis and paratuberculosis both in domestic and in wild animals. Part of the work of this research project is based on the only global clinical trial of a vaccine against paratuberculosis in cattle that was developed in farms in the Basque Country. The study, which already involves a direct technology transfer to the livestock sector, has served to confirm in field conditions and with an inactivated vaccine the prediction of non-specific protection derived from the trained immunity theory developed in humans. This newly proposed concept is defined as an increased non-specific secondary response to a pathogen induced by a previous infection by the same pathogen or by a different one.

About Zendal and the awards
Zendal is a biotechnology group that brings together seven companies focused on human and animal health vaccines. Innovation and social transformation, the feasibility and applicability of the findings; the contribution of these advances to the improvement and well-being of society were the main criteria for granting the awards by an international committee of experts. The awards are endowed with 15,000 euros in each category that must be invested in research projects, since the objective of these awards is to promote biotechnological research within the One Health concept.

Ramon A. Juste
NEIKER, Spain