The scientific and business communities have found common ground in the
development of alternatives to the use of antibiotics in livestock
farming. After agreeing to a scientific ‘proof of principle’, the
veterinary pharmaceutical industry has begun actively participating in
the Immuno Valley ALTANT programme. ALTANT stands for ALTernatives to
ANTibiotics, and works to develop innovative solutions to replace the
use of antibiotics in livestock farming. The programme is a
collaborative effort by Utrecht University’s Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine, the University Medical Centre Utrecht, Pfizer Animal Health
and MSD Animal Health, coordinated by the Immuno Valley foundation and
financed in part by the ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and
Innovation. The total project budget amounts to approximately 18 million
Euros, of which half is provided by the industry partners. This makes
the partners the front runners in the new Top Sectors Policy within the
focus area Life Sciences & Health. The parties recently signed the
contract for the two projects, which may be able to produce the first
alternatives within the next four or five years.

Within ALTANT, there are two very promising lines of scientific research that
may grow to become concrete products or methods for treatment. ASIA
(Animal-Specific Immunomodulatory Antimicrobials) studies the ‘old’
molecules in humans and animals that have been able to maintain their
function as infection blockers over the course of millions of years.
Pfizer Animal Health is the partner collaborating in the ASIA project.
EVAC (Evasion Molecules in Bovine Mastitis VACcines) examines the function
of ‘Evasion Molecules’ – proteins created by certain harmful bacteria
that appear to halt or delay every step of the immune system at the
molecular level. This makes them a serious obstacle to the development
of effective vaccines. In the EVAC project, researchers study whether
these molecules can be disarmed using a vaccine in order to prevent
inflammation of the udder in dairy cattle as a result of infection with
bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. MSD Animal Health is the partner
collaborating in the EVAC project.

‘One Health’: animals and humans bound inseparably together
ImmunoValley brings together research, scientists and the business community
based on the ‘One Health’-concept. ‘One Health’ means that human
medicine and veterinary medicine are inseparably bound together, and
that therefore far-reaching integration of knowledge and expertise is
vital to ensure that healthy people can live in harmony with healthy
animals in a healthy environment. Bundling the knowledge of both
disciplines can prevent and combat epidemics, zoonoses and new
infectious diseases; one of the important goals of the Life Sciences
& Health Top Sector Plan.*

Golden triangle: government, science and business
ImmunoValley is a collaborative effort of the veterinary and human medical
faculties at Utrecht University, Universiteit van Amsterdam and the
Vrije Universiteit, the Central Veterinary Institute, Sanquin, the
Gezondheidsdienst voor Dieren and the industrial parties MSD Animal
Health, Pfizer Animal Health, Merial, Elanco Animal Health, Eurovet,
NOVUS and relevant small- and medium-sized businesses, facilitated in
part by the government. Over the next few years, Immuno Valley will work
to complete the integration of knowledge and expertise within the
framework of government policy.
* “Life Sciences & Health Top Sector Plan, for a healthy and wealthy Netherlands”, 2011.

News RSS