Recipient Organization
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
2229 Lincoln Way
AMES,IA 50011
Performing Department
CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING - ENG
Non Technical Summary
According to the United Nations, the world's population is anticipated to increase byalmost 2 billion within the next 30 years and could peak at almost 10.4 billion by themid-2080s(1). Modern agriculture is centered around delivering high-volume, nutrient-dense, financially accessible food products around the globe to an ever-growingpopulation. Large-scale commodity systems are necessary for food, fuel, and fiber, butnegative outcomes can result for humans and animals because of current managementpractices, exposure to respiratory and chemical toxins, and monocultural concentrationsof plants, animals, and people. The current spread of infectious diseases is increasingat a staggering rate, posing public health and ecological challenges on a global scale(2).Large-scale animal and human mortality, food shortages, high consumer costs of food,and significant agricultural economic deficits are ever-present possibilities in intensiveagricultural systems.Sustainable, resilient food and nutrition security starts with a foundation of healthyanimals free of disease, which can minimize the zoonotic transfer of disease to humansand ensure an abundant, nutrient-dense food supply to support healthy immunesystems around the globe. The Nanovax Research Symposium (i.e., Nanovax 2024)will bring together experts from all corners of vaccine and therapeutic researchwith the goal of developing and commercializing nanoparticle-based vaccinesand therapeutics as effective countermeasures to emergent diseases to enable aresilient animal-human system connected through a global agriculture economy.By bringing human and animal health together, we will enable transferable knowledgeand a collective understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be managedwithin humans and animals through a social-ecological systems lens.(1) Nations, United. 2022. "Global Issues." United Nations. 2022.http://www.un.org/en/global-issues/. Accessed 11 Dec 2023.(2)Rohr, Jason R., Christopher B. Barrett, David J. Civitello, Meggan E. Craft, BryanDelius, Giulio A. DeLeo, Peter J. Hudson, Nicolas Jouanard, Karena H. Nguyen,Richard S. Ostfeld, Justin V. Remais, Gilles Riveau, Susanne H. Sokolow, DavidTilman. 2019. "Emerging Human Infectious Diseases and the Links to Global FoodProduction." Nature Sustainability 2 (6): 445-56.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0293-3
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The Nanovax 2024: Next-Generation Nanovaccines for Global HealthLarge-scale commodity systems are necessary for food, fuel, and fiber, but negativehealth outcomes can result for humans and animals because of management practices,respiratory and chemical toxins, and monocultural concentrations of plants, animals,and people. Instances of avian influenza outbreaks have increased globally in therecent decade due to increased production, commercial trade, and changing wild birdmigration patterns due to climate change. Additional emergent veterinary diseases posea threat to human and animal health, as well as destabilize an accessible global foodsupply. The Nanovax Research Symposium (i.e., Nanovax 2024) is centered ondeveloping and commercializing nanoparticle-based vaccines as an effectivecountermeasure to emergent diseases.Nano-based countermeasures can be deployed within livestock settings, providingnumerous advantages such as extended immune responses with a single, needle-freedose that does not require a cold chain, easing of the animal management burden,reducing costs to producers and ranchers, and enhancing operator safety. Public andprivate industry partners are collaborating to develop single-dose vaccines againstnumerous diseases that impact animal health. Nanovax 2024 will provide a forum toadvance next-generation nano-based vaccines that can induce rapid and long-livedmucosal and systemic immunity, which current vaccines cannot provide.We aim to facilitate a robust exchange of ideas and expertise towards development,manufacturing, and access to safe and effective next-generation nanovaccines andnanomedicines for global human and animal health. By promoting nano-based vaccinesand therapeutics, we envision healthy and resilient social-ecological communitiesworldwide with equitable access to medical countermeasures to mitigate emergentglobal public health challenges.Specific Objectives:The Nanovax 2024 technical program will be centered on advances indeveloping next-generation nanoparticle-based vaccines and therapeutics foranimal and human health.Nanovax 2024 will showcase research, safety protocols, cGMP standards,regulatory processes, and deployment of nanovaccines and nanomedicines.Nanovax 2024 will cultivate the next generation of an innovative translational biomedical research community.The original objectives and goals listed above will still be accomplished with thereduced funding and cost share match contributed to the project. Nanovax 2024will emphasize scientific advancements in next-generation vaccines and therapeuticsfor resilient health through a translational lens. The foundation of the symposium isbased on communication, coordination, and collaboration to advance equitable healthsolutions. It will be the first of its kind to focus on nanoparticle-based healthcareresearch that brings animal and human health together.
Project Methods
Nanovax 2024 will be publicized through the Nanovaccine Institute. Presentation abstract solicitation and event registration will be open to all. The Nanovaccine Institutemaintains a consortium of 85 researchers located at 26 institutions across the US. Wewill utilize our connections through this network and share invitations to our newsletterlist of over 330 subscribers and to our LinkedIn followers (730+ followers). Subscribersto our lists represent federal and state agencies, research institutions, students,pharmaceutical industry members, and media. The Nanovaccine Institute will also utilizeISU strategic communications, including the Iowa Biosciences Platform and the ISUVeterinary Diagnostic Laboratory's networks, to expand awareness of the event. Ourclose collaborations with the USDA National Animal Disease Center, the Center forVeterinary Biologics, and the National Veterinary Services Laboratories will also ensurethat the event is publicized among researchers from these USDA laboratories. Finally,many SPC members are part of program committees for multiple professional societies(e.g., American Association of Swine Veterinarians and American Association ofImmunologists) that are relevant to the research foci of Nanovax 2024. The Symposiumwill be publicized among the networks of these professional societies. We will maintainan event website with abstract submission information, registration, the agenda, andvenue logistics. All content available on the website meets digital accessibility standardsestablished at ISU. Abstract submissions will be collected via the Microsoft ConferenceManagement Toolkit online. This free online service enables a consistent process forreviewers from the SPC to evaluate abstracts from set criteria and provide feedbackdirectly to authors.Nanovax 2024 will be held on the ISU campus at Reiman Gardensbut willbring participants to many corners of campus where nanovaccine and nanomedicineresearch is occurring, including campuslaboratories and the ISU Research Park. The State of Iowa has cultivated multipleBiosciences Platforms to spur economicdevelopment and attract a specialized workforce,including one in the area of Vaccines,Immunotherapies, and Diagnostics, with leadingwork being conducted in nanovaccine research anddevelopment in collaboration with other academicuniversities, national labs, hospitals, and industry.This provides robust infrastructure and collaborativespace for Nanovax 2024 to serve as a gatheringspace for an international cohort of researchersand industry experts to come together, network,learn, and find compelling solutions to complexproblems in healthcare. Building upon the ISUNanovaccine Institute's network of partnershipsand collaborations, we intend to establish a holisticcommunity of healthcare-based nanoparticleresearch that spans basic research tocommercialization and deployment.Nanovax 2024 coordinating staff will collect participant data to enable accountability toensure diverse representation throughout all corners of the event. Documentation andevaluation will extend to affiliated committees, program presenters, and attendees.Demographic information will be collected to inform a pathway forward to continuouslyimprove subject matter selection, collaboration initiatives, and program improvements tofoster a sense of belonging and improve the pursuit of solving animal-human publichealth challenges. All participants must abide by a Code of Conduct centered on theideals of the Principles of Community, an Iowa State University Diversity and InclusionPolicy, that fosters the respect and dignity of others as we seek to advance promisingand robust nanovaccines andnanomedicines.