UGA receives grant for rabies vaccine study

ATHENS, GA. — The University of Georgia (UGA) College of Veterinary Medicine received a $1.18 million grant to develop rabies-virus vaccinations.

Awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health, the grant is the continuation of a four-year, $837,000 NIAID grant issued in 2002 to initiate the study.

The goal is a less expensive and invasive way of vaccinating humans and animals from rabies.

The proposed vaccine will use a genetically modified form of the live virus that allows the body to establish immunity without actually catching the virus.

"We propose to develop a live form of vaccine by incorporating immune-stimulatory molecules into the virus genome," says lead investigator Zhen Fu, UGA professor of veterinary pathology. "By doing so, we expect to develop a vaccine with greater potency, yet reduced cost, because fewer doses will be needed for immunity. The vaccines also can be used in domestic and wild animals to protect them from rabies."