Researchers Develop CWD Vaccine

[Ron]

August 11, 2010

Today the Safari Club International (SCI) Chapters of Wisconsin sent a delegation to the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization and International Vaccine Center (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Researchers there have announced, with certainty, development of a vaccine that induces strong immune responses specific for the misfolded form of the prion protein that causes Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer and elk. An injectable form of the vaccine is currently being tested to determine whether it will protect from the disease. A second generation oral vaccine is in the pipeline which may be administered through feed.

CWD is a progressive, fatal and incurable prion disease known to infect deer and elk and has been found increasingly in wild and captive populations in Canada and the United States. The discovery of using antibodies against misfolded prions also has the potential to fight prion diseases in cattle and sheep and could contribute to the development of vaccines for human protein folding disorders such as Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD), Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's.

"The purpose of our trip is to lock down a date in September for a formal press conference in the US. The SCI Chapters of Wisconsin will host this conference here in Wisconsin," said Mike Christianson, Vice President of SCI National from Oshkosh, WI. "We hope to bring in a team from VIDO-InterVac to make a presentation and answer technical questions about their discovery."

Joining Mike Christianson on the trip is SCI member Dr. Anthony Grabski, Ph.D from Blue Mounds, WI. Dr. Grabski received his Ph.D. (1995) and MS (1987) in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received awards for his research from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society for Microbiology. His love of deer and deer hunting has led to his involvement in CWD management in Wisconsin.

"I've long believed the only way to solve the problem of CWD was through scientific research. Management techniques that include eradication and herd reduction have proven unsuccessful here in Wisconsin and elsewhere. This breakthrough holds great promise to eventually control CWD in deer and elk population," stated Dr. Grabski.

"SCI and others have already committed to support further research and the ongoing animal traits. We hope that after the press conference others will step forward to move this research along and maybe eliminate CWD from our deer and elk herds," added Christianson.

SCI is leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. There are currently six SCI Chapters in Wisconsin. To learn more about SCI in Wisconsin go to: www.sciwi.org

Contact: Mike Christianson @ [phone]
Contact: Greg "Kaz" Kazmierski @ [phone]



www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/August10/aug11/0811safariclub.pdf

[Ron]

There was plenty of discussion on this subject on Saturday when I attended the CWD meeting of the CC up at the Mead. A few of the CC, CWD study committee and I were part of the CWD SAG back in 2007 and we discussed this promising news. Dr. Tony Grabski was part of the CWD SAG told me about his trip to Canada to learn more. This is very promising and thus far sound viable. The info below was released a few months ago .


"VIDO-InterVac at the University of Saskatchewan has helped develop a prototype vaccine for Chronic Wasting Disease. Scientists at VIDO-InterVac, the University of Toronto and University of British Columbia have been working on the vaccine in the lab for five years. A licensing agreement has been signed and testing will begin this fall. It will take a couple of years to determine if the vaccine is effective."
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This will be good news for the captive cervid industry world wide and may end up being just another of many vaccines their herds get. For free ranging deer, an oral vaccine makes the most sense but having it sprayed over an area seems expensive and uncontrollable from a collateral damage standpoint to non-target species like humans and because of repeated applications. Mixing it with some form of feed that is made available by landowners and the DNR seems like something that would be supported by hunters and non-hunters alike. Doing so in the winter months makes the most sense but making it available year round would certainly be better. I doubt founding for such a thing would be a problem. The DNR's Davin Lopez (CWD lead) mentioned that if this pans out that the Dept would seek funding and spearhead the program and stated that he was of the opinion that the legislature would support the funding. I tend to agree.


This makes me even more certain that the proposed 15 year CWD plan in WI is far to long and should be scaled back to the 5 years the CWD SAG recommended. Everybody knows the answer to CWD will never be found at the end of a barrel of the tip of an arrow. That fact that an environmental reservoir exists for at least a decade means that even if herds were reduced to a tiny fraction of what they are today, all the remaining deer are still exposed to the folded prion that causes CWD. Herd reduction has only been a stall tactic at best. The answer was only going to come from guys in white lab coats. Lets hope for the best with this and figure out a way to get it to the deer.