LSU researcher receives nearly $2 million from USDA to develop H5N1 vaccine for poultry

A poultry vaccine against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 is the goal of a project at the Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Veterinary Medicine backed by nearly $2 million from the USDA.¹ Leading the research team is Mariano Carossino, DVM, PhD, DACVM, DACVP, associate professor of veterinary pathology at LSU.¹

The award came through the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) HPAI Poultry Innovation Grand Challenge.¹ LSU’s project appears on the APHIS list as 1 of 17 selected under the novel vaccines topic, alongside 14 therapeutics projects and 27 projects on improved response strategies, for 58 in all.² The agency’s award selections document carries a November 2025 date.³

APHIS puts its investment in the program at $100 million and says a competitive process, conducted in consultation with the US Department of Health and Human Services, determined the selections.² dvm360 reported on the funding opportunity when the USDA opened it in 2025.

According to LSU, the funded research is aimed at earlier, stronger, more practical protection against the virus.¹

How the vaccine is designed to work

The project is titled “Nanobody-directed, M-cell-targeted mucosal vaccine against HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b in poultry.”^1,2 Carossino’s team is using nanobodies, which LSU describes as small antibody-derived molecules, to direct vaccine components to specialized immune cells in the intestinal tract.¹ The design is intended to stimulate mucosal immunity at sites where infection often begins.¹ Researchers hope targeting the entry points will prevent infection and generate a broader immune response throughout the body.

Self-amplifying RNA and replication-deficient viral vectors are among the technologies being incorporated.¹ The LSU team is designing the technologies to allow vaccination either in ovo or through drinking water.¹ Both routes could make vaccination more efficient and practical for commercial poultry operations, according to the release.¹

Carossino said in the release that the goal is “to develop a vaccine that provides effective protection against the virus” and one that is practical for poultry producers to give on a large scale.¹

The research also aims to address the ability to distinguish vaccinated birds from naturally infected birds, which LSU said could support disease surveillance.¹ Among the characteristics the USDA listed for vaccine candidates in its March 2025 announcement were hands-off delivery in chickens and turkeys and compatibility with differentiating vaccinated from infected animals.⁴

Why a poultry vaccine matters now

Since the current outbreak began in 2022, HPAI H5N1 has led to the loss of more than 168 million commercial and backyard poultry birds in the US, according to LSU.¹ The losses have disrupted food supplies, contributed to egg shortages, and raised costs for consumers.¹ Other animal species have been affected as well, including dairy cattle, in which the virus was first detected in the US in 2024.¹

Carossino described HPAI in the release as a continuing serious threat to animal health, the poultry industry, and the nation’s food supply.¹

Control currently relies heavily on biosecurity, disease surveillance, and rapid outbreak response, which often requires depopulating infected flocks.¹ APHIS says HPAI vaccine use remains unauthorized, apart from case-by-case use in certain endangered or zoo species.² Several avian influenza vaccines have nonetheless received conditional licenses from the USDA, LSU noted.¹ One such license, which dvm360 covered in 2025, went to Zoetis for a killed virus H5N2 vaccine labeled for chickens.

HPAI H5N1 is widespread among migratory wild birds, which can carry and spread the virus across North America.¹ For that reason, LSU characterized eliminating the disease entirely as unlikely and effective vaccination strategies as a potential additional tool for long-term control.¹

References

1. LSU Vet Med researcher awarded nearly $2 million grant to develop a bird flu vaccine for poultry. News release. Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. November 12, 2026. Accessed November 13, 2026. https://www.lsu.edu/vetmed/news/2026/carossino_grant.php
2. HPAI Poultry Innovation Grand Challenge. US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Updated May 31, 2026. Accessed November 13, 2026. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-poultry/innovation
3. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Poultry Innovation Grand Challenge award selections. US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. November 2025. Accessed November 13, 2026. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/hpai-poultry-innovation-grand-challenge-awards.pdf
4. USDA announces next steps in the effort to support the fight against avian influenza. News release. US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. March 20, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2026. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/usda-announces-next-steps-effort-support-fight-against-avian-influenza