Consortium in quest for ‘single shot’ bivalent Nipah virus vaccine

An international consortium of scientists and commercial partners is aiming to develop a vaccine and companion diagnostic test for Nipah virus (NiV). 

The newly emerging zoonotic disease infects pigs and can spread to people. Carried by fruit bats, it can cause human encephalitis (brain swelling), leading to severe illness or even death. 

A 1998 Malaysian outbreak, which killed more than 100 people, was controlled by culling almost half the nation’s pig population, devastating the farming industry.

Researchers at The Pirbright Institute are leading a two-year, £1.5m project with the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) in Germany, and three leading UK companies – EnsiliTech, Global Access Diagnostics and BioVacc Consulting – to create the first-ever bivalent NiV vaccine that could be routinely used to protect pigs against NiV and reduce the risk of severe outbreaks.