Frontier IP Group's Portfolio Company, The Vaccine Group, Collaborates with The Pirbright Institute to Combat African Swine Fever

Frontier IP Group plc has announced that its portfolio company, The Vaccine Group (TVG), is collaborating with The Pirbright Institute to develop vaccines to combat African swine fever (ASF). ASF is highly contagious and deadly to pigs, posing a significant threat to the UK's pig and pork export market. The 18-month project, funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, aims to revolutionize ASF vaccine development.

The Pirbright Institute, a world leader in preventing and controlling viral diseases in livestock, is partnering with TVG to accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines against ASF. The project aims to address the ineffectiveness of traditional vaccine methods by utilizing TVG's expertise in herpesvirus-based vaccine platforms and recent advancements in ASF vaccinology and porcine immunology.

Dr. Jeremy Salt, CEO of TVG, expressed excitement about the collaboration, stating, "Our expertise in vaccine technology, combined with Pirbright's groundbreaking research in African swine fever, presents a unique opportunity to make a real difference in the fight against this devastating disease." The project will leverage bovine herpesvirus 4 as a platform for developing ASF vaccines, with the goal of creating safer and more effective vaccines for global pig protection.

The Pirbright Institute, known for its excellence in research and surveillance of virus diseases of farm animals, aims to enhance the capability to contain, control, and eliminate economically and medically important diseases through innovative bioscience. The collaboration with TVG signifies a significant step in the fight against ASF and the development of innovative solutions to benefit animals and communities globally.

Frontier IP Group holds a 17% equity stake in TVG and sees this collaboration as a strong validation for TVG's herpesvirus-based vaccine platform technology. The project is expected to identify a novel vaccine candidate within the 18-month timeframe.