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AgVetLink June 2005

Veterinary Biologics Training Programme

The Institute for International Cooperation in Animal Biologics (IICAB) provides a course annually in May in conjunction with Iowa State University, the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics and the USDA National Veterinary Laboratories. The programme is run over 12 days in three blocks dealing with:

• basic immunology

• an overview of the US licensing system, regulations, product testing and inspection of manufacturers

• an introduction to the main test methods employed.

The course this year was well attended by both company and government representatives (including the ACVM Group’s Neil Kennington) from a wide range of countries with strong participation from Africa, Russia and Kazakhstan.  

The structure and content is designed to provide value to participants from a wide range of backgrounds, particularly those dealing with regulatory affairs without expertise in the biologics industry. It provides a good understanding of the regulatory aspects for technical staff and gives a different perspective for many foreign participants who are involved in manufacturing and developing vaccines for government disease control programmes.  

Iowa State University now has a large concentration of microbiologists and veterinarians involved in regulation, diagnosis and disease management, and emergency response. The US government is investing in new facilities intended to house most of the biologics-based laboratories at Iowa State other than those still based at Plumb Island (New York). 

As a footnote, it seems that vaccines produced in plant cell cultures are now imminent. One advantage these vaccines offer is the elimination of risks associated with adventitious agents. The stability of antigens produced in plants is likely to be a major boost for vaccines used in tropical climates, particularly in developing regions.