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DEVELOPMENT OF RECOMBINANT FERTILITY VACCINE FOR FARM ANIMALS

Award Information
Agency: Department of Agriculture
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 26890
Amount: $50,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1994
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
3900 Collins Rd
Lansing, MI 48909
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Dr Mira Bagdasarian
 () -
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

AT PRESENT THERE IS NO SAFE, CHEAP AND EFFECTIVE COMMERCIAL METHOD TO ENHANCE FERTILITY IN FARM ANIMALS. PREVIOUS WORK AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY HAS SHOWN THAT IMMUNONEUTRALIZATION OF INHIBIN (A GONADAL GLYCOPROTEIN THAT SUPPRESSES SECRETION OF FOLLICLE STIMULATING HORMONE) ENHANCES: OVULATION RATE IN SHEEP, HEIFERS AND GILTS; FECUNDITY IN GILTS AND SPERMATOGENESIS IN BULLS. ALTHOUGH THIS VACCINE PROVED VALUABLE AS A FERTILITY-ENHANCING AGENT IT HAS NO COMMERICIAL MERIT SINCE IT CONSISTS OF CHEMICALLY SYNTHESIZED PEPTIDES CONJUGATED TO HUMAN A-GLOBULIN AND REQUIRES THE USE OF FREUND'S ADJUVANT. THIS PROJECT PROPOSES TO CONSTRUCT AND TEST RECOMBINANT VACCINES COMPOSED OF THE B SUBUNIT (ETXB) OF THE E. COLI HEAT-LIABLE ENTEROTOXIN AND ONE OR TWO IMMUNO-DOMINANT EPITOPES OF INHIBIN. THE CHIMERIC VACCINES WILL BE CONSTRUCTED BY INSERTION OF CHEMICALLY SYNTHESIZED OLIGONUCLEOTIDES (DESIGNED TO ENCODE APPROPRIATE EPITOPES) INTO THE GENE ENCODING ETXB PROTEIN SUCH THAT THE INSERTED PEPTIDES ARE EXPOSED AT THE SURFACE OF THE ETXB MOLECULE. CHIMERIC PROTEINS WILL BE PRODUCED BY BACTERIAL FERMENTATION, PURIFIED FROM THE MEDIUM AND TESTED FOR IMMUNOGENICITY IN GILTS.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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