UK partnership to drive RNA vaccine development for livestock

UK – The Centre for Veterinary Vaccine Innovation and Manufacturing (CVIM) at The Pirbright Institute has signed a memorandum of understanding with CPI, a leading technology innovation centre, to explore advanced RNA vaccine platforms jointly.

The partnership comes as the US scales back funding for RNA vaccine research, signaling the UK’s continued commitment to the technology. RNA vaccines, which use genetic components of viruses rather than whole viruses, offer advantages such as rapid development, targeted immune responses, and potentially lower production costs.

Under the agreement, CVIM will contribute its expertise in livestock diseases, molecular biology, and vaccine evaluation, including in vivo studies, while CPI will bring its RNA Centre of Excellence capabilities in scale-up, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) production, specialist formulation, and training.

“This is an exciting new partnership for Pirbright and CVIM,” said Professor Bryan Charleston, director of The Pirbright Institute. “CPI’s expertise in RNA technology complements our deep understanding of livestock diseases. Together, we hope to accelerate the development of effective, scalable RNA vaccines for animal health.”

Brendan Fish, CPI’s director of biologics and the RNA Centre, described the alliance as “a collaborative force that is far greater than the sum of its parts – unlocking new and innovative vaccines for animal health and accelerating innovation in ways that neither could achieve alone.”

The initiative supports a One Health approach, recognising the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, executive chair of UK Research & Innovation’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), said: “RNA vaccine platforms offer enormous potential for tackling livestock diseases quickly and effectively, and this partnership is a critical step towards ensuring that innovations in bioscience can reach the people and animals who need them.”

Building capacity and future-proofing animal health

A CPI scientist will visit Pirbright in September 2025 to advance RNA vaccine candidate evaluation. CVIM itself is a GMP facility currently under construction, expected to be operational in early 2026. It will focus on vaccines against neglected and emerging livestock diseases, including zoonotic infections that threaten public health.

The centre’s development is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, and the BBSRC.

mRNA vaccines to fight against ASF 

In related developments, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on an mRNA-based vaccine for African swine fever (ASF) that they say could be more effective and cheaper than conventional vaccines. The ASF virus is notoriously difficult to target due to its size and ability to infect host cells via multiple pathways.

MIT professor Jianzhu Chen noted that while conventional vaccines typically rely on antibodies, their mRNA approach also stimulates T-cells to kill infected cells, reducing viral replication. “For ASF, we do not know whether neutralising antibodies are enough, which is why it is important to get neutralising antibodies and T-cells to kill the infected cells,” Chen said.

Postdoctoral researcher Fangfeng Yuan added that early trials in mice and healthy pigs have shown a stronger immune response. However, testing in ASF-infected pigs remains costly and logistically challenging, with only a few high-security labs permitted to handle the virus.

Global relevance of RNA innovation

By aligning expertise in vaccine science, manufacturing, and livestock health, the Pirbright-CPI partnership could have implications beyond agriculture. Insights gained from livestock-targeted RNA vaccines may help inform rapid-response strategies for human diseases — a vital capability in an era of emerging pathogens.

“This collaboration demonstrates how effective public investment can accelerate the translation of cutting-edge research into real-world solutions,” Ferguson-Smith said. “Advancing animal health, supporting rural economies, and contributing to a One Health approach benefits us all.”

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